Jared Allen signs one-day contract, will retire as Minnesota Viking

Jared Allen spent some of his best years with the Minnesota Vikings and now he'll retire as a member of the team after signing a one-day contract on Thursday, he announced.

"In my heart, when it was all said and done, I knew I wanted to retire as a Viking," Allen said on a conference call with Minnesota reporters. He added: "It was one of those mutual things."

Allen retired following Super Bowl 50 in February, after his Carolina Panthers came up short against the Denver Broncos in the title game.

At the time, he posted a video saying he was "riding off into the sunset," but apparently he is making a pit stop in Minnesota.

Vikings owner Zygi Wilf noted the move in a statement:

"We are incredibly proud to have Jared retire as a member of the Vikings franchise. Jared was not only a phenomenal player on the field, but he was also a favorite among the fans and within the organization. He will always be a member of the Minnesota Vikings family."

Allen holds the team record for sacks in a season with 22 and tallied 85.5 of his 136 career sacks during his time with the Vikings. He began his career as a fourth-round draft pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004, but was traded to the Vikings in 2008 for a package of draft picks. He was signed then to what at the time was the richest contract by a defensive player in league history, and didn't miss a game for Minnesota, starting 96 regular-season contests and four playoff games.

 In 2011, Allen's 22 sacks finished a half-sack short of Michael Strahan's single-season record.

He went to the Chicago Bears in 2014 as a free agent, then was traded to Carolina three games into the 2015 season.

He'll officially retire on Friday, then he can get back to riding off into the sunset.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.