KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) - Former NFL defensive end Allen Bailey has died at the age of 37.

Bailey, 37, played 10 seasons in the league and spent eight of them with the Kansas City Chiefs after being drafted by the team in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who coached Bailey for six of his eight seasons in Kansas City, called Bailey “one of my favorite players” on Wednesday, acknowledging Bailey’s death during his weekly press conference.

“It’s terrible,” Reid said of any time a former player of his passes at a young age. “[Bailey] had a father who passed away young, too. It’s life, but it makes you sick.”

The Chiefs also issued a statement as an organization on Wednesday:

“Allen Bailey was an excellent teammate, generous man, and kind soul. We’re deeply saddened to hear of his passing, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”

Patrick Mahomes, who was a teammate of Bailey for two seasons, shared a story Wednesday of the first time he walked into the locker room and saw Bailey.

“I step in the locker room and see Allen Bailey, and I’m like, ‘This isn’t the Big 12 anymore,’” Mahomes recalled of Bailey’s imposing figure. “It was surreal to see him, and I tell that story every single year. Obviously, it’s terrible to hear the news that we heard.

Mahomes added, “A great teammate. He was one of those glue guys on the team. He made plays and was the guy who made everything go. Terrible to hear that news. We’re praying for him and his family.”

In eight seasons with the Chiefs, Bailey started 61 of the 102 games he played in and tallied 207 tackles and 19.5 sacks. Bailey’s best statistical seasons came in 2014 and 2018, with a career-high six 6 sacks coming in his final season with the Chiefs and his lone touchdown, a fumble recovery scoop-and-score in Kansas City’s 54-51 shootout loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 19, 2018.

Following the 2018 campaign, Bailey signed a two-year contract with the Falcons in free agency. He appeared in 31 games with Atlanta before being released in February 2021.

Bailey was from the small town of Sapelo Island, Georgia, and made his way to the University of Miami, where he starred for the Hurricanes in college.

Bailey’s brother, Alford Bailey Jr., told TMZ that his body was discovered in his Florida home on Tuesday. No immediate cause of death was released.

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