Former Chiefs Defensive Lineman Allen Bailey Dies at 37
WHO:
KMBC - Chiefs head coach Andy Reid confirmed Bailey’s death and called him “one of my favorite players” and “a good guy.”
KMBC - Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said Bailey was a “glue guy” who helped “make everything go.”
NY Post - Allen Bailey was a former Chiefs defensive end.
TMZ - Allen Bailey was a former NFL defensive end.
TMZ - Bailey’s brother, Alford Bailey Jr., provided information to TMZ.
TMZ - Bailey’s wife found him dead.
WHAT:
KMBC - Bailey was drafted by the Chiefs in the third round, 86th overall, of the 2011 NFL Draft.
KMBC - Reid described Bailey as “dirty tough” and said he gave an honest down “every snap.”
KMBC - Mahomes recalled seeing Bailey during OTAs and thinking, “This isn’t the Big 12 anymore.”
Heavy NFL - Allen Bailey was a 10-year veteran defensive lineman.
Daily Mail NFL - Allen Bailey spent eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, then played two seasons for the Atlanta Falcons before being released in 2021.
NY Post - Allen Bailey died at age 37.
TMZ - Allen Bailey died at age 37.
WHERE:
TMZ - Bailey’s wife found him inside their Florida home.
WHEN:
NY Post - Allen Bailey died on Tuesday.
Newsweek - Bailey was found dead on Monday.
Heavy NFL - MensJournal.com’s Xavier Sintra wrote that Sapelo had no youth football leagues.
Daily Mail NFL - Bailey joined the Atlanta Falcons in 2019.
WHY:
TMZ - Bailey’s family believes he died from natural causes.
HOW:
KMBC - Reid said Bailey was passionate about hunting.
Heavy NFL - MensJournal.com’s Xavier Sintra wrote that Bailey learned football in pickup games with his siblings and cousins.
Heavy NFL - Xavier Sintra wrote that Bailey learned football by playing pickup games with his siblings and cousins.
TMZ - Bailey’s wife found him dead inside the home.
(UPDATED October 22, 2026 05:02 UTC)
Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Allen Bailey has died at age 37. His wife found him dead inside their Florida home, and his family believes he died of natural causes. Bailey was a 10-year NFL veteran, spending eight seasons with the Chiefs before playing two seasons for the Atlanta Falcons. Kansas City drafted him in the third round, 86th overall, in 2011. Chiefs coach Andy Reid remembered Bailey as one of his favorite players, calling him a good guy who was “dirty tough” and gave an honest effort every snap. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes called Bailey a “glue guy” who helped make everything go. Mahomes also recalled seeing Bailey at offseason workouts and realizing the level of competition had changed. Bailey learned football through pickup games with his siblings and cousins, and Reid said he was passionate about hunting.
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(UPDATED October 21, 2026 21:17 UTC)
Former NFL defensive lineman Allen Bailey has died at 37. His wife found him dead inside their Florida home, and his family believes he died of natural causes. Bailey was a 10-year veteran who spent eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs before playing two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. He joined Atlanta in 2019 and was released in 2021. Bailey’s brother, Alford Bailey Jr., provided information about his death. Bailey grew up playing football in pickup games with his siblings and cousins, as there were no youth football leagues in Sapelo. The former Chiefs defensive end’s career spanned a decade in the NFL, with his time in Kansas City making up most of it. His death has been reported as occurring on Tuesday, while he was found on Monday.
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(UPDATED October 21, 2026 20:16 UTC)
Allen Bailey, a former NFL defensive end, has died at 37. His wife found him dead inside their Florida home, and his family believes he died of natural causes. Bailey was a 10-year veteran defensive lineman who spent eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. He joined Atlanta in 2019 and was released in 2021. His brother, Alford Bailey Jr., provided information about Bailey to TMZ. Bailey’s path into football began close to home: he learned the game in pickup games with his siblings and cousins. Sapelo, where he grew up, had no youth football leagues, so those family games were where he developed his skills. Bailey’s career spanned two NFL teams, with most of his time spent in Kansas City before his later seasons in Atlanta.
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(UPDATED October 21, 2026 18:12 UTC)
Former Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons defensive end Allen Bailey has died at 37. His wife found him dead inside their Florida home, and his family believes he died of natural causes. Bailey spent eight seasons with the Chiefs before joining the Falcons in 2019. He played two seasons in Atlanta and was released in 2021. Bailey grew up on Sapelo, where there were no youth football leagues. He learned the game through pickup games with his siblings and cousins, building his football skills informally before reaching the NFL. His brother, Alford Bailey Jr., provided information about Bailey’s death. Bailey’s career included a lengthy run in Kansas City and two seasons with Atlanta, where he continued his professional playing career before his release.
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(UPDATED October 21, 2026 16:16 UTC)
Allen Bailey, a former NFL defensive end who spent eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, has died at 37. His wife found him dead inside their home in Florida. Bailey’s family believes he died of natural causes, according to information provided by his brother, Alford Bailey Jr. Bailey also played two seasons for the Atlanta Falcons after joining the team in 2019. He was released by Atlanta in 2021, bringing his professional playing career to a close. His time with Kansas City accounted for eight seasons, followed by two seasons in Atlanta. Bailey was known as a defensive end in the NFL, including during his years with the Chiefs and Falcons. He was 37 years old.
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(UPDATED October 21, 2026 15:05 UTC)
Former Chiefs defensive end Allen Bailey has died at 37. His wife found him dead inside their Florida home, his brother Alford Bailey Jr. told TMZ. Bailey’s family believes he died of natural causes.