Earlier this fall, five former Minnesota Vikings were on the list of 129 modern-era candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2023. On Tuesday afternoon, the Hall of Fame committee narrowed their list down to 28 candidates.
Of those five ex-Vikings, only one survived: defensive end Jared Allen.
🚨NEWS🚨
We are excited to reveal our 28 Modern-Era Semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023.
The list includes five first-year eligible candidates.
Full List Of Semifinalists: https://t.co/yC5UKWUE7r pic.twitter.com/xGyuX5emrB
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) November 22, 2022
It’s no doubt that Allen is worthy of the Hall of Fame. Over 186 games across four franchises, Allen accumulated 136 sacks, 32 forced fumbles, a touchdown and four first-team All-Pro selections.
One of the main reasons that Allen deserves to be in the Hall of Fame is how he impacted the Vikings after they traded a first-round pick and two third-rounders to acquire him in 2008. He had 85.5 sacks over his six seasons with the Vikings, including coming half a sack from tying Michael Strahan’s single-season record of 22.5.
Allen still has two more hurdles to clear, but this is a huge step toward getting his rightful place in the Hall of Fame.
