Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen has a contract set to expire at the end of the season, and when he was injured in mid-October with a torn pectoral muscle, he thought his season (and career with his hometown team in D.C.) was over.
But after doctors determined that Allen's pectoral muscle was only partially torn, the door was left open for Allen to return. He's back in the lineup now even though he's dealing with pain in his arm as he tries to help the Commanders make a run to the Super Bowl for the first time in over three decades.
"I mean, I'd be lying if I said it was easy," Allen told The Athletic. "But if it was easy, everybody would do it. Pec or no pec, everybody at this point in the season is beat up and hurt and playing through something. So just being able to fight back and come back in 2.5 months and be a part of this special run has been well worth any of the pain or hard choices I had to make," Allen added.
Allen is a Virginia native, as he played his high school ball in Northern Virginia. Allen has been a member of the Commanders his entire career, and playing through the pain is well worth it for the opportunity to bring a Super Bowl to the team he grew up rooting for—especially with his future with the franchise beyond this season a giant unknown.
Allen wants to return to the Commanders on a restructured deal if Washington will have him back. But with those questions left for the offseason, Allen wants to play through the pain and try to help the Commanders reach their ultimate goal in what has been a dream first season under new head coach Dan Quinn.
"If I were to go to a new team and win there, it would be awesome. But it wouldn't feel the same as it does now," Allen said. "Because growing up here, being a fan of this team and this organization, it was important for me to be here. And winning here means twice as much as winning somewhere else."
The Commanders face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday for an opportunity to win a conference title and advance to the Super Bowl.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Commanders' Jonathan Allen Gives Tough Quote About Playing Through Injury Risk.
