The Jacksonville Jaguars’ best defensive player is renaming himself ahead of the upcoming 2024 season.
The Jags announced Tuesday that two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Josh Allen is changing his last name to Hines-Allen to pay “tribute to Joshua’s maternal side of the family and the other relatives who have worn ‘Hines’ and ‘Hines-Allen’ on their jerseys.”
Hines-Allen’s sister, Myisha Hines-Allen, plays for the WNBA’s Washington Mystics. Sisters Kyra Hines-Allen (Cheyney University) and LaTorri Hines-Allen (Virginia Tech, Towson) also played college basketball. In addition, Gregory Hines, Josh Hines-Allen’s uncle, was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 1983 after a Hall of Fame career at Hampton University, while another uncle, Keith Hines, played basketball at Montclair State.
Allen announced on X (formerly Twitter) that his name has officially been changed to Joshua Hines-Allen. In the video, he talks about how his name change directly relates to those who came before him.
“Legacy is forever, and I’m proud to carry that tradition on the back of my jersey, following in the footsteps of my family, who have donned the Hines-Allen last name with so much pride and joy,” Hines-Allen wrote.
𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗵𝘂𝗮 𝗛𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀-𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻
Legacy is forever, and I'm proud to carry that tradition on the back of my jersey, following in the footsteps of my family, who have donned the Hines-Allen last name with so much pride and joy. pic.twitter.com/8wAaj2hhpS
— Joshua Hines-Allen (@JoshHinesAllen) July 9, 2024
The Jaguars announced that Hines-Allen will host a jersey exchange for fans in September.
Hines-Allen, who registered a career-best and Jaguars franchise-record 17.5 sacks last season, was rewarded by Jacksonville with a five-year contract extension in April.
It should be noted that Josh Allen is also the name of the star quarterback of the Buffalo Bills. Quarterback Josh Allen and Joshua Hines-Allen have always been linked by their shared name and both players are Pro Bowlers.
The Bills drafted Josh Allen with the 7th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and the Jaguars selected Joshua Hines-Allen with the 7th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Now there won’t be any confusion between the two NFL stars.