NFL great and Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist Jared Allen is leaving his Tennessee ranch and heading back to his California roots, even as many residents continue moving out of the Golden State.
At 44, Allen recognizes that returning to California is an unconventional choice amid persistent concerns about high taxes, rising prices and the state’s affordability crisis.
For the former star pass rusher, however, the decision is deeply personal. He wants his children to grow up with the same outdoor adventures and opportunities that shaped his own childhood in Northern California.
“I’m one of the rare people moving back to the state of California,” Allen said. “I grew up here, in the Bay Area, and I have such fond memories of California. I want my kids to experience the California I knew growing up.”
Allen was raised on a cutting-horse ranch in Morgan Hill. He first played football with Gilroy Pop Warner before attending Live Oak High School.
After being expelled over an off-campus disciplinary matter involving the sale of stolen yearbooks, Allen transferred to Los Gatos High School for his senior season. There, he established himself as a rising football prospect, earning first-team All-League honors, Defensive Player of the Year recognition and a spot on the All-Central Coast Section team.
Looking back, Allen said California’s active, outdoors-focused lifestyle played a major role in shaping who he became.
“We used to get up and ski in Tahoe in the morning, then be back in Santa Cruz fishing in the evening,” Allen said.
He said he also hopes to surround his children with “go-getters,” “doers” and “innovators” who believe that “anything is possible.”
Still, the nostalgia drawing Allen home comes with a pointed critique of California’s rising expenses and political direction.
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“When I got my driver’s license, a tank of gas wasn’t much more than a dollar,” he said. “I remember an affordable California. I grew up on a working ranch, so it wasn’t as though we were wealthy or had unlimited resources. But we could still enjoy almost every experience a child could want.”
Allen also highlighted the state’s natural and cultural appeal, saying, “You have the ocean, you have the mountains, you have agriculture, and you have such a vibrant food scene.”
During the announcement, Allen also endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton and called on voters to move California away from what he described as Sacramento’s entrenched political status quo.
“After talking with Steve and hearing his common-sense approach, including ideas like bringing gas down to $3 a gallon and making car registration cost what people pay elsewhere in the country, it really resonated with me,” Allen said. “No matter which political party you support, these are everyday expenses … just to live.”
Allen criticized policy ideas associated with Hilton’s Democratic opponent, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, particularly a proposed vehicle-miles-traveled tax.
“What is Becerra talking about?” Allen said. “I heard him discuss a potential mileage tax. How are you going to punish people for enjoying the state? How are you going to punish people for trying to get to work or simply moving around?”
Hilton shared Allen’s endorsement video on social media, writing: “🚨 NFL legend Jared Allen is moving BACK to California, voting Hilton. On Becerra’s mileage tax: ‘How are you going to punish people for trying to get to work?’ Thank you, Jared! I’ll be fighting to the very end to restore the thriving, affordable California you grew up in. 👊”
Allen argued that California voters cannot continue approving the same policies while expecting the state’s severe cost-of-living problems to disappear.
“I was reminded of the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result,” Allen said, adding that California has remained under single-party control since former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“I’m excited about the possibility of bringing a common-sense approach to everyday life here in the great state of California. God bless you, and vote for Steve,” he concluded.
