One of the best remaining free agents in the NFL on the defensive side of the ball has finally found a new home. The Chicago Bears just agreed to terms with Jared Allen, who has been a big star for the Vikings over the past 6 seasons.

Jared Allen is a defensive end, and has been with the Minnesota Vikings since 2008. Prior to joining the Chicago Bears, he has been to the Pro Bowl 4 of the past 6 years, and has a total of 128.5 career sacks, which places him at 12th in the history of the NFL.

The deal could be worth up to $32 million, which would include $15.5 million in guaranteed money, and could void after three years, and $24 million. Allen should be a valuable asset for the Bears after getting in on 93 percent of the Vikings’ snaps from 2008 to 2013.

The Chicago Bears had one of the best defenses in the league several years ago with Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, but in the past few years, they have struggled greatly. They were kept out of the playoffs last year after Jay Cutler was injured for most of the season, and they were poor on the offensive end as well.

Prior to the signing Allen, the Chicago Bears had released veteran Julius Peppers in order to make room for others, and bring in new talent. Peppers has since signed with their rivals, the Green Bay Packers.

Since the Vikings and Bears are in the same division, the NFC North, Jared Allen will be able to continue to pursue the quarterbacks that he has already become familiar with, and the Bears also play with a similar defensive style that he is used to. It was previously rumored around the time of the trade deadline that Allen could have been traded, and several teams had shown interest.

Allen should be a nice addition to the Chicago Bears, and coach Mark Trestman showed his excitement to introduce him to the program when saying “We know what his abilities bring to the table. We believe he’s going to come in hungry and excited to be part of our football team, and we believe he’ll fit right in.”

The Chicago Bears should see a great improvement with their defense after signing Jared Allen. He needs only 4.5 sacks to move into sole possession of 10th place on the career list, and he could climb as high as fifth next season, and pass Michael Strahan, since all he has to do is record 13.5 sacks.

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