The Kansas City Chiefs will honor the franchise’s latest member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame ahead of the Week 6 game against the Detroit Lions.
During each home game, the Chiefs invite someone of importance to the franchise to the upper level of GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium to beat on a drum to energize the crowd ahead of kickoff. In Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles, it was S Tyrann Mathieu. In Week 4 against the Baltimore Ravens, it was RB Priest Holmes. The team announced on Thursday that DE Jared Allen would be this week’s drum honoree on “Sunday Night Football” against the Lions.
GEHA Drum Deck Quick Facts:
Known as the beating heart of Chiefs Kingdom, the GEHA Drum Deck was introduced as a part of the team’s stadium renovations in 2019.
It’s the home of two gameday traditions: TheDrum Honoree and the Tony DiPardo Spirit Leader.
Advertisement
Chiefs DE Jared Allen returns to Arrowhead Stadium for Week 6 vs. Lions as drum honoree
Allen was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, this August. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Chiefs in the 2004 NFL Draft. He played just four seasons in Kansas City before he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings, but earned his first of five Pro Bowl selections and the first of four first-team All-Pro honors, while leading the NFL with 15.5 sacks in 2007.
His time in Kansas City had an indelible impact on the trajectory of his career, namely being in the shadow of Derrick Thomas. By the end of his career, Allen surpassed Thomas to rank 12th on the NFL’s official all-time sack leaderboard with 136 sacks from 2004-2015. Thomas ranks 18th with 126.5 from 1989 to 1999.
It’ll be interesting to see Allen’s reception in Kansas City, given that he recently told Kay Adams that people aren’t afraid of the Chiefs anymore.
This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Oct 9, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.