Defensive end Jared Allen has decided to hang up his football pads and ride off into the sunset. After a stellar 12-year NFL career, Allen announced on Thursday morning that he has decided to retire from football. His announcement, which was in the form of a video posted to his Twitter account, might be one of the best ever — he's on a horse sporting a cowboy hat. He thanks everyone for an 'amazing' 12-year career, then says that he was planning on riding off into the sunset, but since there's no sunset behind him, he's just going to ride off.
How awesome was that? Allen, who played his final NFL season with the Carolina Panthers, totaling 15 total tackles in 12 games, will go down as one of the most ruthless defensive ends in the league. Prior to Carolina, he spent six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and then two with the Chicago Bears in 2014-15. Drafted in the fourth round out of Idaho State by the Kansas City Chiefs, Allen made five Pro Bowls during his career.
