Remembering Allen Bailey, the Chiefs' 'Hulk' on the Defensive Line, 1989-2026

Allen Bailey died at 37. His wife found him Oct. 20 at home in Florida, his brother said. Family believes natural causes; no official cause. Via TMZ.

UPDATE (Friday, Oct. 23): The Clay County Sheriff's Office in Florida has opened a death investigation, which is standard when someone dies suddenly at home. A sheriff's report obtained by TMZ says deputies were sent to Bailey's Green Cove Springs home Tuesday morning on a cardiac-arrest call, and he was pronounced dead about 10 minutes after responders arrived. No cause or manner of death has been released, no charges or suspects have been reported, and the family still believes he died of natural causes (via TMZ, New York Post).

Chiefs Kingdom woke up to heavy news on Wednesday. Bailey spent his first eight NFL seasons in Kansas City. His brother, Alford Bailey Jr., told TMZ that Bailey's wife found him on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at their home in Florida, and that the family believes he died of natural causes. No official cause of death has been announced (via TMZ). On Wednesday, Chiefs coach Andy Reid called Bailey "one of my favorite players, a great kid," and Patrick Mahomes remembered him as "one of those glue guys on the team," per ESPN's Nate Taylor.

Former Miami teammate Colin McCarthy was among the first to share the news, writing, "Lost a fellow brother today… prayers to AB family! Love you Big Cuzzo," per EssentiallySports.

From Sapelo Island to Arrowhead

Bailey was born March 25, 1989, on Sapelo Island, Georgia, and played at McIntosh County Academy before starring at Miami, where he was first-team All-ACC in 2009 and second-team in 2010. The Chiefs took him in the third round of the 2011 draft, 86th overall. He grew into a starter, earned a contract extension in November 2014, and posted a career-high six sacks in 2018, his last year in Kansas City. He finished with two seasons in Atlanta, and over his career appeared in 133 regular-season games with 22 sacks and 248 tackles.

In the locker room he was "The Incredible Hulk," a nickname from coaches and teammates that fit his strength and his build, per Chiefs.com.

Our Take: Bailey was never the loudest name on those Chiefs defenses, but he was the kind of player good teams are built on: drafted, developed and kept, then trusted for eight seasons. He played the run, pushed the pocket and fought his way back from a torn pectoral that cost him most of 2016. He deserved a lot more years than he got.

Our thoughts are with his wife, his brother Alford and the entire Bailey family.

Sources: TMZ police report, New York Post, ESPN, TMZ, EssentiallySports, AOL, Chiefs.com, Chiefs.com, Wikipedia, Chiefs.com

Photo: Tech. Sgt. Michael Crane, U.S. Air National Guard, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.jpg)