Chiefs refuse to repeat Jared Allen regret with George Karlaftis deal

In 2004, the Kansas City Chiefs drafted a future Hall of Fame defensive end. A little over 20 years later, Jared Allen would enter Canton more known for his play with the Minnesota Vikings than the Chiefs.

Somehow, Allen only lasted four years in K.C. before the team traded him to the NFC North. Even at the time, it seemed surprising. In his first three seasons, Allen had racked up a whopping 27.5 sacks and 163 tackles. It was clear he was going to be a star—and yet the Chiefs couldn't work out a deal and traded him for a bevy of picks.

The Chiefs made sure not to lose another bright young pass rusher by locking up George Karlaftis.

Fast forward to 2022, where the Chiefs once again drafted (future Hall of Fame?) defensive end in George Karlaftis. In his first three years, Furious George has racked up almost as many sacks as Allen did with 24.5. His tackle numbers are significantly lower (115), but his pass deflections are off the charts. Karlaftis has 15 to Allen's 1 over the same period of their careers.

That's just a regular season comparison. If you go to the postseason, Karlaftis is off to a way better start than Allen. Post-season stats are a little hard to compare because Allen only went to the playoffs one time with the Chiefs. Still, they do count for something, and so far Karlaftis has 8 playoff sacks to Allen's zero in his first three seasons. And did I mention two Super Bowl wins?

All of this to say is that the Chiefs could have gone down the same road they went with Allen when deciding whether or not to give Karlaftis a contract extension. They opted not to risk losing another homegrown pass rusher and signed Karlaftis to a contract extension worth $93 million.

Technically, the only leadership continuity between the Chiefs in 2008 and now is Clark Hunt. It's hard to know how much sway he personally had in the decision to re-sign Karlaftis. However, it's hard to believe he didn't remember one of Carl Peterson's last moves as general manager of the organization.

Rather than watching an impact edge rusher that they drafted play out his career on another team, the Chiefs can now watch another drafted talent continue to flourish within the confines of Arrowhead. Do you think Karlaftis will enjoy a path similar to Jared Allen?