Top stars season with the Panthers may have been one of the least productive of his Hall of Fame career, but he wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Plagued by a ruptured disc in his back shortly after joining the team, Allen dealt with constant pain and even lost feeling in his foot for weeks at a time. Despite these struggles, the newly inducted Pro Football Hall of Famer cherishes his time in Carolina.
After navigating both highs and lows during his stints with the Chiefs, Vikings, and Bears—including leading the league in sacks twice and enduring multiple regime changes—Allen reflected on his brief Panthers tenure with a smile.
“I got to Carolina, and joy, joy got brought back into football,” Allen said late Thursday night, shortly after being named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026.
Jared Allen’s time with the Panthers was short, spanning just 15 games including the playoffs. During that stretch, he recorded 2.0 of his 136.0 career sacks, placing him 12th on the NFL’s all-time sack list.
In need of depth after Charles Johnson landed on injured reserve, former general manager Dave Gettleman acquired Allen from the Bears on September 28, 2015, in exchange for a conditional sixth-round pick.
For Allen, arriving in Charlotte felt like a breath of fresh air—a sense of freedom he hadn’t experienced in years.
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