MINNEAPOLIS — Jared Allen is plunging into free agency for the first time in his career. He’s made two things abundantly clear: Allen is not interested in signing a bargain deal to be a situational pass rusher, and the Minnesota Vikings aren’t out of the running to retain his services.

Allen’s agent, Ken Harris, told The Associated Press on Friday night that Allen is looking forward to the process that is set to begin Saturday. That’s when a three-day window opens for teams to begin negotiating. No contracts can be signed until Tuesday.

Allen had 11½ sacks last year for the Vikings. He leads the NFL in sacks since entering the league in 2004 and has posted double-digit numbers for seven straight seasons. He is coming off the final season of a six-year, $73 million contract he signed when he was traded from Kansas City in 2007.