Eric Allen
Eric Andre Allen is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, and Oakland Raiders from 1988 to 2001. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Allen retired after the 2001 season and is currently an NFL analyst for Pac-12 Networks. In his NFL career, he recorded 54 interceptions for 826 yards and eight touchdowns, while also recovering seven fumbles. His 54 interceptions is tied for 21st in NFL history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025.
In 2019, he served as the defensive backs coach for the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football.
Early life
Allen played high school football at Point Loma High School under legendary coach Bennie Edens.College career
Allen played college football at Arizona State University.Professional career
Philadelphia Eagles
1988 season
The Philadelphia Eagles selected Allen in the second round in the 1988 NFL draft. He was the third cornerback drafted, following Rickey Dixon and Terry McDaniel, and was also the first of three cornerbacks the Eagles drafted in 1988, along with fifth round pick Eric Everett and 11th round pick Izel Jenkins.On June 19, 1988, the Eagles signed Allen to a four–year, $1.05 million rookie contract that included an initial signing bonus of $260,000.
He entered training camp slated as the No. 2 starting cornerback, taking over after disappointing seasons from Elbert Foules and William Frizzell. Throughout training camp and the preseason, Allen performed well and was named a starting cornerback to begin the season, alongside Roynell Young.
On September 10, 1988, Allen made his professional regular season debut in the Philadelphia Eagles’ season-opener at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and made four solo tackles, one pass deflection, and had the first interception of his career on a pass by Vinny Testaverde as they won 41–14. In Week 7, he set a season-high with eight combined tackles, had a pass break-up, and intercepted a pass attempt by Don Strock during a 3–19 loss at the Cleveland Browns. On November 13, 1988, Allen recorded one solo tackle, set a season-high with three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Bubby Brister during a 27–26 win at the Pittsburgh Steelers. He started in all 16 games as a rookie throughout the entire 1988 NFL season and recorded 57 combined tackles, 11 pass deflections, and made five interceptions.
1989 season
On January 11, 1989, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips accepted the same position with the Denver Broncos. Defensive backs coach Jeff Fisher was promoted to take over as his replacement.Head coach Buddy Ryan named Allen the No. 1 starting cornerback to begin the season following the departure of Roydell Young. Fellow second-year cornerback Izel Jenkins was paired with Allen for the season, replacing Young.
On September 17, 1989, Allen set a season-high with five solo tackles, made two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Mark Rypien during a 42–27 win at the Washington Redskins.
In Week 6, he recorded three solo tackles, set a season-high with three pass deflections, and picked off a pass thrown by Tom Tupa during a 17–5 victory at the Phoenix Cardinals. In Week 11, Allen made three solo tackles, one pass deflection, recovered a fumble, and intercepted a pass by Wade Wilson as the Eagles defeated the Minnesota Vikings 9–10. The following week, he made two solo tackles, one pass deflection, and picked off a pass by Troy Aikman during a 27–0 victory at the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12. On December 3, 1989, Allen broke up a pass and made his eighth interception of the season on a pass attempt by Phil Simms during a 24–17 victory at the New York Giants. He finished the season with a total of 48 combined tackles, 12 pass deflections, and set a career-high with eight interceptions in 15 games and 15 starts.
1990 season
The Philadelphia Eagles selected cornerback Ben Smith in the first round of the 1990 NFL draft. He returned to training camp slated as the de facto No. 1 starting cornerback. Head coach Buddy Ryan named Allen and Ben Smith the starting cornerbacks to begin the season. In Week 8, he recorded five solo tackles and set a season-high with three pass deflections during a 21–20 victory at the Dallas Cowboys. In Week 13, he set a season-high with six solo tackles during a 23–30 loss at the Buffalo Bills. On December 23, 1990, Allen made four solo tackles, two pass deflections, set a career-high with two interceptions off passes thrown by Babe Laufenberg, and returned one for the first touchdown of his career as the Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys 3–17. He intercepted a pass Babe Laufenberg threw to wide receiver Michael Irvin and returned it 35 yards to score his first touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. He finished the season with 58 combined tackles, 14 pass deflections, and three interceptions in 16 games and 15 starts.The Philadelphia Eagles finished second in the NFC East at the conclusion of the 1990 NFL season and earned a Wild-Card berth for their third consecutive playoff appearance. On January 5, 1991, Allen started in the NFC Wild-Card Game and made three solo tackles, one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by Mark Rypien as the Eagles lost 20–6 to the Washington Redskins.
1991 season
On January 8, 1991, the Philadelphia Eagles fired head coach Buddy Ryan three days after their third first round playoff exit in-a-row. Owner Norman Braman immediately announced offensive coordinator Rich Kotite would be promoted to be the new head coach. Defensive coordinator Jeff Fisher was the only other candidate to replace Buddy Ryan and was offered to retain his position, but opted to depart from the organization. After a successful first season pairing together, defensive coordinator Bud Carson chose to retain Allen and Ben Smith as the starters to begin the season.On September 1, 1991, Allen started in the Eagles' season-opener at the Green Bay Packers and recorded three solo tackles and intercepted a pass by Don Majkowski as they won 20–3. In Week 6, he set a season-high with three pass deflections and intercepted a pass attempt by Vinny Testaverde during a 13–14 loss at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In Week 11, No. 2 starting cornerback Ben Smith tore his ACL during a 32–30 victory at the Cleveland Browns and was subsequently placed on season-ending injured reserve. In Week 14, he set a season-high with seven solo tackles and had three pass deflections during a 13–6 victory at the Houston Oilers. He started all 16 games throughout the 1991 NFL season and made 37 combined tackles, 20 pass deflections, five interceptions, and one fumble recovery. He was selected for the 1992 Pro Bowl, marking his second Pro Bowl of his career.
Throughout the season, the Eagles' defense were dubbed "Gang Green" due to their relentless pressure. Following the departure of Buddy Ryan, the Eagles' defense continued to use his 46 defense, but defensive coordinator Bud Carson would effectively mix in different defensive schemes, fronts, coverages, and blitzes. Bud Carson was credited for the arrival of the Cover 2 defense on the NFL. The defense was built around a defensive line that included Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Mike Golic, and Clyde Simmons. The linebacker corps had Seth Joyner, Jessie Small, Byron Evans, and rookie William Thomas among them. The secondary consisted of cornerback duo Allen and Ben Smith starting alongside safeties Wes Hopkins and Andre Waters. The defense quickly began diminishing starting with Ben Smith suffering a torn ACL in Week 10 and was profoundly effected by the sudden death of Jerome Brown before training camp in June 1992.
1992 season
Throughout the offseason, Allen and the Eagles worked on reaching an agreement. Upon the beginning of training camp, both parties were unable to reach an agreement. After two Pro Bowl selections, Allen demanded to receive a salary that would make him one of the highest paid cornerbacks. He decided to hold out of training camp and refused to play until his demands were met. On September 3, 1992, the Philadelphia Eagles re-signed Allen to a three–year, $3.60 million contract. Allen said the key to the agreement was "making me one of the three highest-paid defensive backs and keeping me there. It was a compromise." Head coach Rich Kotite named Allen and Izel Jenkins the starting cornerbacks to begin the season, as Ben Smith would remain inactive for the entire season due to his torn ACL.After the five games, defensive coordinator Bud Carson opted to bench No. 2 starting cornerback Izel Jenkins and replaced him with starting free safety John Booty temporarily for seven consecutive games. On November 8, 1992, Allen recorded six solo tackles, two pass deflections, and set a season-high with two interceptions off passes by Todd Marinovich as the Eagles defeated the Los Angeles Raiders 10–31. In Week 15, he set a season-high with three pass deflections and intercepted a pass by Stan Gelbaugh during a 20–17 overtime victory at the Seattle Seahawks. He started all 16 games throughout the season and finished with 78 combined tackles, ten pass deflections, four interceptions, and two fumble recoveries.
The Philadelphia Eagles finished the 1992 NFL season with an 11–5 record to earn a Wild-Card berth. On January 3, 1993, Allen started in the NFC Wild-Card Game and recorded three combined tackles, led the game with four pass deflections, made two interceptions, and sealed a 36–20 victory at the New Orleans Saints by intercepting a pass by Bobby Hebert and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown nearing the end of the fourth quarter. The following week, the Eagles were eliminated from the playoffs after they lost 10–34 at the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional Round. The Cowboys would go on to win Super Bowl XXVII to kickoff their dynasty.