Jared Allen is coming to grips with the reality that his time with the Minnesota Vikings is rapidly coming to a close.
The five-time Pro Bowl defensive end will be a free agent in 2014 and hinted several different times to USA Today's Tom Pelissero that he's resigned to leaving Minnesota.
"If I continue to play, you want to try to win a championship at some point," Allen said Thursday. "Personal accolades can only go so far."
The 10-year pro has 122 sacks and has said repeatedly he plans to keep playing. When rumors swirled at the trade deadline that Allen might get moved, Pelissero reported the defensive end was willing to restructure the onerous remaining $8 million on his contract, for the right situation.
"I don't want to be chasing the ring. I want to earn the ring," Allen added. "I want to be somewhere, and obviously, you've got to have parts in place and you've got to be contenders."
With a young, struggling defense and currently lacking a franchise quarterback, the 2-8 Vikings don't appear close to being in that place. Allen mentioned the Kansas City Chiefs' and San Francisco 49ers' quick turnarounds, shining a shimmer of sunlight on the fading hope remaining in Minnesota.
Regardless of where he plays next season, Allen plans to retire a Viking.
"Wherever I go, when I retire, I'm going to call them and say, 'Hey, let me sign a one-day contract,'" Allen said. "Minnesota will always be in my heart. But I don't know what the future holds. We haven't talked about it. I'm trying not to think about it."
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