Former Chiefs And Vikings Star Jared Allen To Compete In Grand Slam Of Curling

Late in his 12-year, Hall of Fame career, Jared Allen was playing golf in Scottsdale, Ariz., with Brandon Moles, a childhood friend.

The former defensive end bet Moles he could pick up another sport and become an Olympian. Allen considered badminton and trap shooting before settling on curling, a more age-appropriate endeavor.

He ended up falling in love with the sport.

“It’s a lot more challenging than you think,” Allen exclusively shared. “But it’s so much fun.”

It may not count toward his Olympic bet, but Allen will participate at the highest level of the sport at the KIOTI Grand Slam of Curling (GSOC) at Nevada’s Tahoe Blue Event Center from Nov. 4-9.

“It’s the best curling event,” said Nic Sulsky, CEO/co-founder of The Curling Group, “better than the Olympics even — because we’re not married to one team per country.”

Allen, who has competed in curling for about seven years — including at a qualifying event for the United States Curling Championship in 2019 — received a sponsor exemption from The Curling Group to participate in the third leg of the five-event Grand Slam, which will feature the top 16 men’s and women’s teams from around the world.

“Let’s be candid: My goal, our No. 1 goal from a curling perspective, is to help grow the sport of curling all over the world,” Sulsky said. “The U.S. is a country that we absolutely have prioritized growing the sport in, and so including an NFL recent Hall of Famer, who also happens to be an incredible character and a great curler, into the Grand Slam of Curling events in the U.S., it was an absolute natural.”

Capitalizing on U.S. interest is crucial because — though it is the 25th year of the event — Tuesday marks the first time a GSOC match ever has taken place in the United States.

“Being able to play in a slam is something that is super cool,” Allen said. “This opportunity to go play against the top 15 teams in the world is phenomenal.”

Football Skills For Curling

On Allen’s four-man squad will be John Morris, a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Canada.

Allen likely will occupy a front-end position, which is often manned by strong athletes because they can push the granite stone 10 to 20 feet farther on the ice.

He said he can apply attributes from the gridiron — work ethic, the ability to quickly pick up an athletic skill and create muscle memory, though he noted it takes a different approach.

“Football — that adrenaline works for you. In curling that works against you,” Allen said. “You’ve got to slow yourself back down and deliver.”

Allen was not the only athlete making the transition from football to curling.

In March of 2018, Allen assembled fellow retired NFL players Marc Bulger, Keith Bulluck and Michael Roos to form a competitive curling team, which participated in the Curt Mesabi Classic of the World Curling Tour.

The latter two played for the Tennessee Titans, and Allen, who earned a reported $97.8 million while playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers, now resides in Nashville, Tenn.

Allen’s Post-Football Life

He spends much of his time in Nashville gardening, hanging out with his two daughters and attending their volleyball matches, though he still follows the NFL.

“I’m not watching every game or anything,” Allen said, “but just enough that when I have to talk to people, I don’t sound like an idiot.”

He attended the Chiefs win against the Detroit Lions on Oct. 12 and banged the ceremonial drum at Arrowhead Stadium before it. Though Allen praised the Chiefs fanbase and Kansas City, he more closely identifies as a Viking than a Chief.

“I retired as a Viking,” he said. “If the Chiefs are playing the Vikings, I probably root for the Vikings just because, hey, they believed in me a little more than the Chiefs did.”

The Chiefs drafted him in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft but traded him to the Vikings in 2008 for a first-round pick and two third-round picks. Minnesota then signed him to what was then the most lucrative contract for an NFL defensive player. In 2022 the Vikings inducted Allen into their ring of honor.

Although Allen received that athletic achievement, it’s very unlikely the 43-year-old Allen accomplishes his objective of making an Olympic team in curling — and certainly not for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy, which is in February of 2026.

“If Jared was 15 years younger, maybe 12 years younger, I think he could be one of the best curlers in the world, but at the end of the day, he spent of the majority of his elite, athletic years training to be an NFL player,” Sulsky said. “If Jared were to drop everything, could he train hard enough to make the U.S. Olympic Team? Yeah, maybe, but Jared is a dedicated family man … So it would be very hard for him to dedicate the amount of time it would take to become an Olympic curler.”

If that’s the case, how much will he owe Moles for that gentlemen’s bet?

“There’s still negotiations on that,” Allen said.