Kansas City, Mo. ? Jared Allen, the franchise player for the Kansas City Chiefs, is heading to a new franchise, the Minnesota Vikings, according to multiple sources.

Late Tuesday night, the Chiefs and the Vikings reached an agreement on a trade package, and at roughly the same time, Allen reached an agreement in principle on a contract with the Vikings. Upon reaching the contract agreement, Allen headed to the airport and left for Minnesota.

Sources indicated the Vikings might have had to include a second third-round pick (No. 73) in the 2008 draft to get the deal done. They had been offering a No. 1 pick (17th in the first round) and a No. 3 (No. 82). Terms of Allen’s new contract weren’t available.

Allen, a fourth-year defensive end out of Idaho State, led the league in sacks last season with 15.

The Chiefs, who are trying to get younger, now have the fifth pick in the first round and presumably the Vikings’ pick, which is the 17th. Allen had made it clear to the Chiefs that he wouldn’t sign a long-term deal with the team.

Now, the Chiefs can use the fifth pick in the first round to find a pass-rushing replacement, either Vernon Gholston of Ohio State or Chris Long of Virginia.