Report: Bucs talk trade for Chiefs DE Allen

The Bucs have held talks with the Kansas City Chiefs about trading for NFL sack leader Jared Allen.

Allen told FOXSports.com that he anticipates a deal with the Vikings or Bucs could get done prior to next week's draft.

""It's a situation that works out best for both sides,'' Allen told the website. ""I can go to a team that is competing for a championship right now. The Chiefs can get valuable draft picks to rebuild with.''

Allen said he will visit with the Vikings in Minnesota this weekend and is tentatively scheduled to meet with the Bucs next week. The Jaguars also have expressed an interest.

Allen, a Pro Bowl defensive end who is the Chiefs' franchise player, would come with a steep price in terms of salary and draft picks as compensation. A package of first and second-round picks and first and third-round picks have been discussed.

Allen led the NFL with 15.5 sacks last season and has forced 13 fumbles in the past three seasons. He also comes with some off-field issues. He was suspended the first two games of last season for substance abuse violations, including a pair of DUI arrests.  

The Bucs have wanted to upgrade their pass rush and took a step in that direction last year by selecting defensive end Gaines Adams.

 

   

Comments

[Vince]

Wow. I cannot imagine the Bucs trading for Allen, given their stance on retaining draft picks. Could it be that a player would be in the mix?

[Ben]

I agree with that, Vince. I read through the Sabby Piscitelli which noted that the Bucs are not thrilled with the fact that they only have one pick in each of the first 5 rounds. I think that we should hold on limiting our picks more for vet players from bad teams. Granted he did lead the NFL in sacks last year.

Also, I enjoyed the Sabby Piscitelli article because it made me realize that we might not need to draft a safety in the first round. It might be nice to keep Mike Jenkins in TB, but we have some options at safety.

But also reading Keiper's take yesterday and talking about the depth of reciever in this draft, where does that leave the Bucs for a first round pick? I don't want to say it (for fear of arguing both sides of the coin,) but are they thinking of trading out of the first round for later picks or someone like Jared Allen and later round picks?

[James]

Hahaha...a trade for a great DE using our 1st round pick? I love it! No one saw this coming. This is the reason I look at ZERO Mock Drafts throughout the offseason.

I guess the Bucs feel like every player in this years draft is either Top-5 or 2nd round material, so they feel to get the best value in return for thier 1st round investment they must do it by trading it away for the league's most premiere LE. I agree with this 100%. Go get 'em Bruce, there isn't a better player available in this year's draft class that fits our needs.

We can go WR 2nd as it's likely there will be plenty available to be had!

[James]

Btw Ben, Mike Jenkins from USF is a Cornerback, not a Safety. There isn't a team in the NFL that would make him a Safety either. He's too damn good Man and Man on the outside.

[Justin M]

The Bucs will not trade their draft picks for Allen. We are shortchanged in that area to begin with. The lack of draft picks is what hurt this team from 2003-2006.

[cory s]

While this guy is a beast and I was hoping he would be a free agent this year, I don't know about all this. It doesn't make much sense to me. We need a tackle more than an end. Why weren't we involved in ANY of the trade talks with the great tackles that were traded? Allen plays on the same side as gaines, correct? Can he play both? What happens to Greg White? If this were to work out, I think I would prefer future picks because we have such a pressing need at reciever and I want devin thomas if he falls to us. Or we could trade this year's first for chad johnson and next year's 1st and 3rd for allen. =)

[Steve L]

I wouldn't discount anything at this point. Gruden (and Allen) are happy to have jobs and realize they're on a short leash, thus I certainly don't think this is a smoke screen. Any combination of picks and/or players could be part of the scenario, allowing us to retain (or gain) draft picks, albeit in the lower rounds. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.

[Pete]

Steve, I don't know what "short leash" you're talking about. Gruden won the division last year and signed an extention...

[JB]

Maybe the first rounder this year and Simms?

[DR]

A major factor in any deal is Allen wants to get paid big bucks. He will demand a huge contract, something the Bucs don't seem to be too willing to give away. If the Bucs do get him and pay him big, what kind of effect will it have on current players wanting some of that free cap space, i.e. EG, Garcia? Their on a different side of the ball but it won't look good on the management to ignore their own players.

[DR]

I am currently hugging my Romo doll in fear the bucs get JA. Please don't do it Bruce, my doll and I are scared. Jessica is in the doll house seeing the money rain from Pac-man doll.

Pete, I'm sure you know extensions are not guaranteed. By the same token winning the NFC South, while great and all, was like winning the tallest midget contest. We were clearly the weakest division winner in the NFL. Smoke and mirrors will do that. The Glazer's would have fired Gruden had he done anything BUT win the division. My point was I don't believe the Glazer's will settle for worst to first every year at this point. In most other divisions we wouldn't even be able to compete at a high level as evidenced by our playoff perforrmance.

[Matt]

As part of the trade Herm Edwards wants the Buc's to promise not to call any Free Agents that the Chiefs want prior to the beginning of the Free Agency period.

[JH]

This guy is an absolute beast. Allen at LE, Gaines at RE, White rotating in. Reminds me of Osi and Strahan. A feirce and relentless pass rush equals championships, the Giants proved that. a 1st and maybe a late round pick or players makes perfect sense. Wilson per the reports is playing well at CB and a good WR can be found later in the draft. This should be a no brainer.

[Short Bus Riding Fans]

Woo Hoo! We nomimate Steve L. to be our president!

[Steve L]

SBRF- I am honored to be nominated.

JH- agreed. This will become the vogue in the NFL due to the Giant's success. Platooning has always worked but obviously platooning talented guys is even better. Allen has a motor we haven't seen since Sapp (though Hovan also has a good motor it's trapped in an overachieving package). People get caught up in the aura of the draft pick but a bit of research shows that most high ones never pan out as expected. Here we'd be trading for a young, proven commodity. Do it.

[mm]

I'm all for it. As most of you are calling for a WR or CB taken with the first round pick, You cannot guarantee if that player will have an impact much less pro bowl year. With Allen, you know what you are getting.

[cory]

We would have soooo much money invested in defensive end. I can't imagine that cap numbers between him and gaines 3 or 4 years down the road.

[Bill]

1st round next years second and simms
dont trade haye

[cory]

Ya, I just read on espn we offered our 1st and next year's 5th and may package jovan haye. I would be thoroughly upset if we sent off haye. We would be terrible at tackle and he is a very young player with tons of upside. 6 sacks in his first year is pretty damn impressive.

[Nate Dogg]

Cory...Haye isn't VERY young, but with little experience at the position, he still does offer some upside.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Haye, but maybe they see something with Douglas moving inside?

This whole topic just blows my mind to begin with. Allen for our first round pick?? Nuts!

[Steve L]

The picks I can live with. I'm not sure about Haye (reminds me of seeing Dewayne White leave for Detroit). If it must be a player I would hope it would not be a starting D lineman. That would be two steps forward, one step back.

[Oliver]

They got to keep Haye; he could develop into a really solid football player, he's something of a success story here.

Adams, Haye, Douglas, Hovan, White, Allen - seems a pretty good unit to me.

[Kurt]

Allen is worth a #1 this year and next. Here's why: If we traded up to get that caliber of player (which there isn't in this draft - maybe Long,) it would take next year's 1st rounder to get there anyway. In essence, you're getting a proven top ten player with virtually no risk. This would also, both short and long term, free up the money necessary for such a blockbuster signing and leave enough for our existing, pending contract extensions.

[Jon]

This guy turnes 26 this year and had 15.5 sacks in 14 games last year. (unfortunately this guy has an issue with DUIs which is why he missed the first two games of the year).

I'd give up a 1st a third (next year), simms AND Haye for this guy.

[Jon]

I'd also like to point out that the strength of a very good defense last year was the back 7. Whereas, the strength of our D in the past was our front 7. Putting Allen with Adams and White could make our DL a top 5 unit and that would put our D from a very good D to a championship level D.

[Caveman]

How well does this guy run a fade route?
Gru/Allen make the craziest decisions. They are truly an embarrassment...

[An Intrigued Bucs Fan]

I agree with Jon. There's always the possibility that we get a first-rounder this year and he turns out to be horrible. However, by, in essence, getting Allen as our first-round pick, we have an immediate impact player who's already at his prime. Just look at the insane numbers; his lowest sack total in 4 years in the league is 7.5. That's MORE than than what our HIGHEST sacker got last year (Adams/Haye = 6).

[BuccanBobby]

J Allen,Great Opportunity....I know the kid personally and he's got the type of non-stop-relentless motor the Bucs-D needs at that position. He's an O'Douls drinker now, with the DUI behind him. Hope this happens!!!
BuccanB

[Tom]

The DUI against him was a joke. He was a few blocks from home. This is a good kid. He would be tremendous in a Bucs uniform. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[Stephen Holder]

Hello all. We've been making lots of phone calls today on this story.

Regarding Jovan Haye and his possible inclusion in this deal.... I talked to Michael Smith from ESPN, who reported that tidbit. He wanted to be clear that he isn't saying the BUCS proposed trading Haye. He said, rather, it's still unclear who made that proposal. It's possible that it was the Chiefs. We don't know for sure. I frankly don't think the Bucs want to part with Haye because they are so thin at the under tackle position. I talked to Haye as well and he knew nothing about it except what I told him. But that's neither here nor there, I suppose. The player is often the last to hear.
Lastly, I won't get into how I came to this conclusion, but I'll just say that I think this deal is a long way from happening. However, if it's gonna happen, it's going to be now. The draft creates a natural deadline. So, this shouldn't drag out nearly as long as, say, the Chad Johnson drama.

[JS]

Allen is a franchise player so if I'm the Chiefs I ask for 2 first round picks... Why am I hearing 2008 first round, 2009 5th round, and J-Haye? can you make a trade for a franchise player without giving a team 2 first round picks?

[JasonDLT]

They're not asking for 2 first rounders because no one will give them two first rounders. If someone was willing to do that, they'd just sign Allen and take the hit.

The Chiefs have exhausted the Franchise tag on him, they can't tag him again, so they want to get some good value for him before he walks for nothing next year.

[Vince]

Stephen -- I would think any team would be happy to get Allen, a Pro Bowler, with a first round pick. Maybe even a first and third. This is a draft with not a lot of true first round talent and the Bucs could actually end up with a D-line of Allen, Hovan, Coleman (the Bucs may still get him) and Adams. Wow. Is it that you think the Bucs will not break from their mold of build through draft and manage salary cap?

Peterson is one of the shrewdest negotiators in the league. Allan is in contract negotiations with the Cheifs and the Chiefs are just weighing their options. I doubt a trade is done. King Carl won't give up Allan for what the other teams will offer. Seems like the same thing happened not to long ago with LJ.