Oct 26, 2014; Kansas City, MO; Chiefs defensive end Allen Bailey (97) and linebacker Dee Ford (55) combine to sack St. Louis Rams quarterback Austin Davis (9) at Arrowhead Stadium. Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Chiefs defensive end Allen Bailey entered the 2014 regular season in the final year of his contract.
He will now be around at least another four years.
The Chiefs on Saturday signed Bailey to a four-year, $25 million deal with a $10 million signing bonus, a source confirmed with ChiefsDigest.com.
The Chiefs later announced the transaction without contract details less than an hour after news broke, which was first reported by ProFootballTalk.com.
“We are happy that we were able to reach an agreement to keep Allen in Kansas City,” Chiefs general manager John Dorsey said in a statement released by the team. “He has developed into a good football player and a key member of our defense.”
Bailey, a native of Sapelo Island, Ga., entered the league out of Miami as the second of two Chiefs’ third-round picks (86th overall) in the 2011 NFL Draft.
The 6-3, 290-pound Bailey emerged during organized team activities (OTAs) to seize the starting defensive end position vacated by Tyson Jackson, who signed a free-agent deal with the Atlanta Falcons in March.
Bailey, who spent the previous three seasons as a backup, blossomed through nine regular-season games as an every-down starter, recording a career-high four sacks. He has also recorded career highs in quarterback pressures (7) and starts (9).
Bailey’s value is also evidenced by how much the Chiefs keep him on the football field.
The 25-year-old Bailey enters Week 11 with a total of 461 defensive snaps, which ranks second among the Chiefs defensive linemen behind defensive tackle Dontari Poe (482).
Defensive lineman Jaye Howard is a distant third with 220 defensive snaps.
On his career with the Chiefs, Bailey has appeared in 50 games with 13 starts, totaling 72 tackles (54 solo), six sacks, five passes defensed, two fumble recoveries and 12 quarterback pressures.
