Jared Allen, Kevin Williams Nominated Pro Football Hall of Fame

Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen and defensive tackle Kevin Williams have been nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The nomination process has taken place with Allen and Williams joining a group that will be hard to cut down. Joining them as first-year candidates include Peyton Manning, Calvin Johnson, Roddy White, Wes Welker, Heath Miller, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Logan Mankins, Justin Tuck, Jerod Mayo, Charles Woodson, and Charles Tillman. The player pool sits at 130 with the addition of these first-year candidates.

Semifinalists (25) for the Pro Football Hall of Fame will be announced in November with the finalists (15) being named in January. The 2021 class will be announced the night before Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay.

Allen enters the Hall of Fame pool after 12 years in the NFL. Allen was drafted by Kansas City in the 4th round of the 2004 NFL Draft. After his first four years in Kansas City, Allen was traded to Minnesota. He would go on to spend the majority of his career with the Vikings (2008-2013) before moving on to Chicago (2014-2015) and Carolina (2015) to end his career. Allen's resume includes five Pro Bowl appearances, four NFL First-Team All-Pro honors, two-time NFL season sack leader, 643 tackles, and 136 sacks for his career.

A six-time NFL All-Pro, Williams looks to join the Pro Football Hall of Fame after a stellar career with the Vikings (2003-2013), Seahawks (2014), and Saints (2015). Williams finished his career with 525 tackles, 63 sacks, nine forced fumbles, and five interceptions. As a member of the "Williams Wall," Kevin helped the Vikings have the best rushing defense through the mid-2000s. Williams played in one Super Bowl as a member of the Seahawks (loss to New England).

More information about the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the selection process, and players can be found here.