MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings agreed to terms on a contract with former Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen on Tuesday, bulking up the backbone of their front with a two-time Pro Bowl pick who was released last week for salary cap savings.

Because Allen was cut before the expiration of his previous contract, the Vikings were allowed to announce the deal ahead of the NFL signing period that begins Wednesday. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound Allen will get a three-year, $60 million contract, according to a person with knowledge of the deal who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the terms were not being made public.

Before being released last week following the opportunity to talk to other teams about a trade, Allen was Washington’s second-longest-tenured player, getting drafted in the first round in 2017 out of Alabama. Allen missed half of last season after tearing a pectoral muscle but returned for the final four games, including the playoffs as the Commanders reached the NFC championship game.

The Vikings had one of the league’s most productive defenses last season, but they could use more of a pass rush from their interior. Since debuting eight years ago, Allen appeared in 108 games with 401 tackles and 42 sacks. The sack total ranks fifth in franchise history since it became an official statistic in 1982. He had three sacks in eight regular-season games in 2024.

Allen, who was Washington’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award nominee in 2020 and 2021, came to team in the same year as current Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, who was the quarterbacks coach and later offensive coordinator for the club from 2017-19.

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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi in Tampa, Florida, contributed.

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