LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Defensive end Jared Allen turns 32 this week. He wants nothing to do with the idea of becoming a situational pass rusher as a 30-something Chicago Bear.
Allen plans to play as many snaps as possible at the right defensive end spot he played the previous 10 years for the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs, with the hope of turning around a defense that dropped from third to 30th in scoring last season.
“It’s just, I have a lot left in this tank,” Allen said Monday during his first visit to Halas Hall. “My body feels good. And again, I feel like I can make waves. And not for me, personally. I want to win a Super Bowl.”
Allen decided against possibly joining forces with the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks to take a four-year contract for a reported $32 million with the Bears, a move viewed by some as one of NFL free agency’s biggest surprises.
“What attracted me here is the opportunity to go out and win it, to earn it and win it and be a part of it and be a piece of that puzzle,” Allen said. “And again, like I’ve always said, things have to line up. It has to be the right place, great for my family. Obviously, you want a fair contract throughout the whole deal. And everything lined up.”
Allen will line up with defense completely rebuilt at end since last year and said he’ll enjoy playing alongside former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Jeremiah Ratliff, who the Bears signed during the 2013 season after he recovered from a groin tear.
Allen takes a position Julius Peppers had last year before being cut by the Bears for salary cap purposes. He joins former Oakland Raider Lamarr Houston and former Detroit Lion Willie Young as part of the Bears’ new-look defensive end group. The Bears had only 17 sacks from defensive ends last year and as a team tied the Jacksonville Jaguars for last in sacks with 31.
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Rogers signs with Raiders
ALAMEDA (AP) — The Oakland Raiders have signed free-agent cornerback Carlos Rogers to a one-year contract.
Rogers will team with another former 49ers cornerback in Oakland’s secondary. The Raiders previously signed Tarell Brown to a one-year deal. Rogers has started 116 games over nine seasons with Washington and San Francisco.
