The Panthers will have a void to fill at defensive end as Jared Allen announced his retirement today in a way that only he can:
Riding off into the sunset pic.twitter.com/wZXovseGKS
— Jared Allen (@JaredAllen69) February 18, 2016
On the bright side, Allen's retirement clears $8.5 million in cap space for the Panthers, which means they have some financial flexibility to find a replacement via free agency if they want to go that route. The Panthers have already signed Wes Horton to a one year contract, but I would suspect GM Dave Gettleman will be in the market to find another DE to replace Allen. It's also likely he will draft a replacement since this year's draft class is full of quality defensive linemen, so don't be surprised if that happens.
Best of luck to you in your future endeavors, Jared, and thank you for giving everything you had to the Panthers during the playoff run. We're sorry you couldn't finish your career with a Super Bowl victory, but we're thankful that you were a part of our run.