NFL great Jared Allen is following his curling dreams and taking Marc Bulger along with him. (Getty)

In 2016, Jared Allen literally rode off into the sunset after a career as one of the best NFL pass rushers of his generation.

In February, former Minnesota North Stars player Lou Nanne clued in ESPN Radio’s Twin Cities affiliate on what Allen’s been up to since retirement.

Allen has his sights set on Beijing

He told ESPN 1500 that Allen has his sights on the 2022 Olympics in Beijing as a curler in what may be the most Minnesota sports talk conversation ever broadcast over airwaves.

You'll never believe what former Viking Jared Allen has planned next. This would seriously be amazing. (h/t Lou Nanne for this nugget) Full show here: https://t.co/pmkWVGVC9S pic.twitter.com/za3Bxfw66H — Phil Mackey (@PhilMackey) February 8, 2018





“He said ‘I’m giving myself four years to make the Olympic curling team,'” Nanne said of Allen. “He says ‘I know I can do it. The U.S. has never medaled in curling. I’m going to get a medal. … That’s what he’s gonna be doing for the next four years.'”

While Allen’s reported history of USA curling was a bit off — team USA won a bronze medal in 2006 before going onto gold in PyeongChang a couple of weeks after this radio broadcast — his interest in the sport appears to be legit.

Allen competing in curling event — with Marc Bulger

Team Allen from Blaine, Minnesota is scheduled to compete in the upcoming Curl Mesabi Classic in Eveleth, Minnesota that kicks off on Friday.





And he’s bringing former St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger with him.

2018 gold medalist John Shuster was a champion at this event in 2015, so it appears to be a big deal in the curling community.

Allen’s been practicing

Allen teased his and Bulger’s foray into curling in October alongside fellow former NFLers Keith Bullock and Michael Roos. Look at those game faces.

Roos and Bullock evidently didn’t make the cut for this weekend’s event.

While half the American population decides every four years that they have what it takes to be a world-class curler before immediately losing interest when the Olympics end, Allen looks ready to give the game a legitimate shot.

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