Jaguars DE Josh Hines-Allen's name changed motivated by family legacy

For the last few years, there was a running joke in the NFL. Two players were named Josh Allen, one plays for the Buffalo Bills and the other for the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, the one who suits up for the Jags has officially changed his name to Joshua Hines-Allen.

HInes-Allen announced on social media that he was changing his name to honor his family. His siblings were already going by the surname. Only Allen was left, but that's changed.

"It's not a struggle to say that this is what I want to do, I'm deciding to change my name. I'm Joshua Hines-Allen, defensive end, Jacksonville Jaguars. You know, I've always been a Hines and legacy is forever," the star pass rusher said. "Family is important to me because when you come from a rich history of athletic people in your family. And myself being the youngest one, to go to all my sister's games, to know what my uncles did at college and in the NFL, it just means something a little bit more."

"It was almost destined for me to follow their footsteps. It's going to be a surreal moment the first time I get my name announced. Growing up, having my sisters run out of the tunnel, intros, lights going dark. 'Hines-Allen,' everybody is watching them, and I thought that was the coolest thing. My last name is changed but I'm still the same person, and I'm going to continue to play like it. Play even better," Hines-Allen said.

"Now, it's like I have the attention. People are interested. They saw what I did last year, so now I can create my own narrative on what I want to do. And that's why I think now is the perfect time. Once I get to the Pride of the Jaguars, it's going to say Joshua Hines-Allen, and when I look there, that's my legacy. That's what I always wanted. It's gonna say that."

Allen, the seventh overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, has become a mainstay of the Jaguars' defense. He registered 10.5 sacks as a rookie and made the Pro Bowl. However, a knee injury limited him to just eight games and 2.5 sacks the following year. In 2021, the former Kentucky Wildcat played at an elite level at times but wasn't nearly as consistent as the Jags would've wanted. He had another productive campaign in 2022 but still had room for improvement.

It wasn't until 2023 that Hines-Allen put it all together. His 17.5 sacks were a team record, and after a contract impasse with general manager Trent Baalke, he got a deal that reflected his status as one of the best pass rushers in the league. Now, the Virginia native has set his sights on winning Defensive Player of the Year honors and helping Jacksonville win the Super Bowl.

Here's the player formerly known as Josh Allen explaining his reason for changing his name.

Jaguars DE Josh Hines-Allen is still the same player

Josh Hines-Allen had previously talked about changing his name, as Mia O'Brien pointed out on Twitter.

As Hines-Allen pointed out in the clip, his family's last name has a legacy. His sister Myisha plays for the Washington Mystics in the WNBA. His uncle Gregory Hines was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the 1983 NBA Draft and was inducted into the Hampton University Athletics Hall of Fame. His other uncle, Keith Hines, played college basketball at Montclair State.

Having changed his name, there will no longer be confusion between Josh Hines-Allen and "the other Josh Allen."

As he rightfully pointed out, Hines-Allen is still the same player but now that he's set his sights on achieving big things, he wants to make sure that his family's last name is mentioned.

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