Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Allen Bailey was found dead Tuesday by his wife in their Florida home. He was 37. According to TMZ, his family believes he died of natural causes.
The Chiefs drafted Bailey in 2011, and he spent eight years with the team before moving to the Atlanta Falcons in 2019.
In a social media post Wednesday, the Chiefs shared their condolences with Bailey’s family and remembered one of their own.
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“Allen Bailey was an excellent teammate, generous man, and kind soul. We’re deeply saddened to hear of his passing, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”
Head coach Andy Reid also showed his admiration for the former DE at a press conference Wednesday.
“Our hearts go out to his family,” Reid said, via Saad Yousuf of The Athletic. “Prayers are with them. Way too young, obviously. One of my favorite players. Great kid. Just sorry to see that happened to him.”
Reid remembered Bailey for his personal side, which matched his character and his on-field play.
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“Just a good guy,” Reid added. “I drive in every morning, and I’ll see a possum, and he was a big hunter. I’d say, ‘I saw a possum out there.’ He goes, ‘Don’t eat those possums; they eat garbage. Gotta get the ones that eat the chestnuts (laughs).’ He was that kind of guy. He was an outdoorsman, and then he was dirty tough. You talk about giving you an honest down; he gave you an honest down every snap.”
Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes spent two years with Bailey in Kansas City and spoke highly of him on and off the field.
“I tell this story every year with (quarterbacks),” Mahomes said. “He was the first person I saw when I stepped into the locker room. I think it was after one of the drafts. They were in OTAs. I stepped in the locker room and see Allen Bailey, and I’m like, ‘This isn’t the Big 12 anymore.’ It was surreal to see him. So I tell that story every single year.”
“Obviously, it’s terrible to hear the news we heard. Great teammate. You see him, and he’s one of those glue guys on the team. He makes plays, but not necessarily the superstar, but the guy that makes everything go. It was terrible to hear that news later last night. We’re praying for his family and know that all his teammates, we’ve talked and we know we’re going to do whatever we can to support those guys.”
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At the University of Miami, Bailey earned first-team All-ACC honors in 2009 and second-team All-ACC honors in 2010 before the Chiefs selected him in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. During his 133-game career, he recorded 22 sacks, 248 tackles, four forced fumbles, and seven fumble recoveries.
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