Josh Allen Changes Name to Josh Hines-Allen
The NFL is only big enough for one Josh Allen. One of the greatest Wildcats to ever wear the blue and white will don a new name on the back of his Jacksonville Jaguars jersey this fall, “Hines-Allen.”
Allen announced on Tuesday morning that he’s adding a hyphen to his name. From this point forward, No. 41 will go by Joshua Hines-Allen.
Even though it’s a big change, it shouldn’t be too startling for folks who have covered his career closely. When he rose to stardom at Kentucky, his older sister, Myisha Hines-Allen, starred for the Louisville women’s basketball team. She tallied over 2,000 points and 1,100 rebounds during her four-year career with the Cards before becoming a second round pick in the WNBA Draft. She was an All-WNBA player in 2020 and has averaged around 8 ppg during her six-year career with the Washington Mystics.
Hines-Allen is making the big change following the best year of his career. He tallied 17.5 sacks in 2023, the second-most in the NFL. He broke a single-season Jacksonville record and set the franchise record for most career sacks in his second Pro Bowl campaign.
Allen, I mean, Hines-Allen (that’s going to take some getting used to) parlayed last year’s success into a lucrative contract extension. This offseason he signed a five-year, $180 million contract with $88 million guaranteed. It was the most lucrative contract in Jacksonville Jaguars history until they extended quarterback Trevor Lawrence a few months later.
This news gives us the perfect opportunity to revisit a favorite pastime for Kentucky football fans: watching Josh Allen highlights from his 2018 College Defensive Player of the Year campaign.
Josh Allen History
Prior to the name change to Hines-Allen, Josh Allen made history in one of his best games as a pro against another Josh Allen. In 2021 the Jaguar sacked the Buffalo Bills’ QB. It was the first time a player sacked an opposing quarterback with the same name. In that same game, he intercepted Josh Allen, creating delight and confusion across the NFL. The Jags needed ’em all to defeat the Bills 9-6 on their way to the playoffs.
Hines-Allen joins list of noteworthy Hyphenated Wildcats
Similar to Ray Davis, Josh Allen is one of those guys where if you say his name, you always refer to him with his first and last name. Adjusting to calling him Hines-Allen will take some time. He’s one of many talented athletes to suit up for Kentucky with a hyphen in his name.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Karl-Anthony Towns
Willie Cauley-Stein
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Sacha Killeya-Jones
Jamon Dumas-Johnson
Demie Sumo-Karngbaye
Abule Abadi-Fitzgerald
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
Similar to Hines-Allen, prior to joining the Kentucky football team, Anthony Brown added -Stephens to his last name. He still is primarily known by his teammates simply as AB. Will Josh Allen now be JHA? Jaguars fans will embrace whatever as long as he’s terrorizing opposing quarterbacks for years to come.
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