Former Kansas City Chiefs star found dead by wife at just 37
Former Kansas City Chiefs star found dead by wife at just 37
Tom Malley Wed, October 21, 2026 at 3:18 PM UTC
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Former Chiefs defensive end Allen Bailey has died at the age of 37 -Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited (Reach Publishing Services Limited)
Former Kansas City Chiefs star Allen Bailey has died at the age of 37, a report has revealed.
The ex-NFL defensive end was found dead by his wife inside their Florida home on Tuesday, his brother, Alford Bailey Jr., told TMZ, with the family believing he died of natural causes.
It comes just a month after former Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos cornerback Alphonso Smith Jr. died at 40 years old, while another ex-NFL defensive end, Josh Mauro, also sadly passed away in April.
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Several of Bailey's former teammates have already spoken out following his passing, including ex-Chiefs offensive lineman Jeff Allen, who paid tribute with a post on X that read: "Lost a teammate, a friend, a brother. God needed another angel. Rest easy, my brother."
Colin McCarthy, who was Bailey's former teammate at the University of Miami, also offered his condolences, writing: "Lost a fellow brother today… prayers to AB family! Love you Big Cuzzo!"
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Bailey played 10 seasons in the NFL after being drafted by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2011 draft out of the University of Miami, spending his first eight seasons in Kansas City before joining the Atlanta Falcons in 2019 and retiring two years later.
Bailey spent seven years with the Chiefs, recording 207 total tackles in 102 regular-season appearances
Across his seven-year spell with the Chiefs from 2011 to 2018, Bailey made 102 regular-season appearances, of which he started 61, recording 207 total tackles, 19.5 sacks, 32 tackles for loss and 31 quarterback hits.
There were also four forced fumbles and as many recoveries as he helped Kansas City achieve three consecutive AFC West division titles between 2016 and 2018.
Following the latter campaign, Bailey signed with the Falcons to play his final two NFL seasons, during which he served as a valuable veteran presence and a defensive line rotation player.
Across his 31 appearances for the franchise, Bailey made five starts and recorded 2.5 sacks, but was ultimately released by the team in February 2021, following two losing seasons with the Falcons (7-9 in 2019 and 4-12 in 2020).
Bailey ended his career with two seasons at the Atlanta Falcons
Bailey finished his professional career with 22 sacks and 248 combined tackles across 133 regular-season NFL games.
Following his retirement, Bailey made sure to give back to his hometown community of McIntosh County, Georgia, through his foundation, the Allen Bailey Foundation, regularly organizing backpack drives during back-to-school season and a turkey drive before Thanksgiving for kids and families in need.
Bailey also put together an annual football camp for kids ages 11 through 18 - free of charge - in his home region of Southeast Georgia, bringing in NFL guest instructors such as Lamar Miller, Olivier Vernon, and Allen Hurns to inspire them.
Source: “AOL Sports”
