Stone Bridge graduate and NFL defensive end, Jonathan Allen, was released from the Washington Commanders on March 7. Allen’s hard work on the field with the Commanders and his off the field work with the school will be remembered fondly by many in the school community.
Allen’s statistics on the Commanders were impressive. In his eight years on the team, he had a total of 401 tackles, and over half of them were solo tackles. Allen’s best year was 2019, where he had 68 tackles and six sacks.
“It’s been the truest honor of my life to have the privilege to wear ‘Washington’ across my chest for the last eight seasons,” Allen said on a goodbye post on his Instagram account. “It’s just different, if you know, you know.”
Allen’s career began at Stone Bridge, where he had 50 tackles in just his senior year. His statistics ranked him as a five star recruit in his graduating year of 2013. Allen committed to the University of Alabama in 2012, and began attending in 2013 where he won the 2016 National Championship and was named the Southeastern Defensive Player of the Year. Allen then declared for the 2017 NFL Draft. In the draft, Allen was a first round pick, going to the formerly-named Washington Redskins with the 17th pick.
“All I’ve ever wanted to do here is WIN,” Allen said in his post. “This fanbase deserves that, this organization deserves that, this community deserves that, and last season was truly just the beginning!”
Last year, Allen’s season was cut short after an injury to his chest against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 6. This injury caused Allen to have surgery and miss almost all of the season. Allen was able to return for the final two games of the regular season and through all of the postseason success the team found.
“Jonathan Allen, thank you,” the Commanders said in an Instagram post. “[You] gave this franchise everything you had.”
The Commanders attempt to find a trade partner for Allen was unsuccessful, so he was released by the team on March 7. It didn’t take long for another team to pick him up, however; the Minnesota Vikings agreed to terms with Allen a few days later on March 11. Allen will play under a three-year contract for $51 million, but with additional bonuses, his contract could rise to $60 million. Allen is guaranteed roughly $23 million with his new contract.
“What drew me to Minnesota was multiple things,” Allen said in his signing with the Vikings. “The family atmosphere, the culture, and the things that you can’t measure.”
The Stone Bridge community and all of Washington will miss Allen, but Bulldogs especially will be ready to cheer him on in his purple and gold.
