Jaguars' Pro Bowl DE Josh Allen explains story behind changing his name
There will no longer be two Josh Allen's in the NFL. Jacksonville Jaguars' defensive end, Josh Allen announced early this morning that he will be changing his last name to Hines-Allen. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen will still go by the name though.
In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter), Hines-Allen said:
"It's not a struggle to finally say that this is what I want to do, this is what we're going to do. I am deciding to change my last name. I'm Joshua Hines-Allen, defensive end, Jacksonville Jaguars. I've always been a Hines, and legacy is forever.
"Family is important to me because when you come from a rich history of athletic people in your family and myself being the youngest one, going to all my sister's games, to know what my uncles did in college and in the NBA, it just means something a little bit more."
In his announcement, Hines-Allen said it's a tribute to his maternal side of the family, honoring his sister and uncles who sport the name on the back of their jerseys. Myisha Hines-Allen plays for the WNBA's Washington Mystics and his two other sisters, Kyra Hines-Allen and LaTorri Hines-Allen, played college basketball. His uncle Gregory played for the Golden State Warriors and his other uncle Keith played at Montclair State.
"It was almost destined for me to follow their footsteps. It's going to be a surreal moment the first time I get my name announced. My last name has changed, but I am still that same person. Once I get to the Pride of the Jaguars, it's gonna say Joshua Hines-Allen."
Hines-Allen will hold a jersey exchange event in Jacksonville in September for fans who own his "Allen 41" jersey. Notably, he sacked Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen during the 2021 season and became the first player in NFL history to sack someone with the same name.
Josh Allen was rewarded this offseason with a big contract extension
It's been a memorable year for Joshua Hines-Allen. Before the name change, Allen was awarded with life-changing money.
The athlete was set to become a free agent this off-season, but the Jacksonville Jaguars placed the franchise tag on him. On April 10, Allen became one of the highest-paid edge rushers in the NFL, signing a five-year extension worth $141 million, including $88 million guaranteed as per Spotrac.com.
This comes after he had a career season, posting 17.5 sacks which set a Jaguars franchise record for most sacks in a single season.