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Bears Sign Former Vikings DE Jared Allen To 4-Year Deal

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Bears continued to bolster their defensive line on Wednesday, signing five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen to a four-year deal. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the deal was worth $32 million that voids to three years and $24 million, of which $15.5 million in guaranteed.

Allen joins three other free agent defensive ends who have signed with the Bears this offseason -- former Raider Lamarr Houston, and former Lions linemen Willie Young and Israel Idonije, the latter of who spent his entire career with the Bears before playing for the Lions last year.

Allen, who will turn 32 next month, spent the past six seasons with the Vikings and started his career in Kansas City. Since he joined the NFL in 2004, he leads the league in sacks with 128.5.

"We're really excited about adding Jared to our football team," Bears coach Marc Trestman told the team's official website. "We know what his abilities bring to the table. Jared is certainly a very experienced player in the league. We believe he's going to come in hungry and excited to be part of our football team, and we believe he'll fit right in with the other new players that we've added and the guys that are already on the defensive side of the ball. I know that our defensive coaches are excited as well."

Allen's been to the Pro Bowl five times, has been a first-team All-Pro four times, led the league in sacks twice and was the NFC Defensive Player of the Year in 2011, when he broke a Vikings record with 22 sacks.

Allen has seven straight seasons with 10 or more sacks after recording 11.5 sacks with Minnesota last year, so the Bears likely will expect him to pick up much of the production they lost when the team cut Julius Peppers. Allen also had 33 solo tackes, 19 assists, 13 tackles for loss, six pass deflections and two forced fumbles in 2013.

The Bears will formally introduce Allen on Monday afternoon at Halas Hall.

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