Instead, Allen ended up where he was needed much more.

The Bears, 8-8 last year, needed a defensive overhaul, especially up front, after sinking to the bottom of the NFL rankings in most major defensive categories.

When the Bears signed the former Viking to a four-year, $32 million deal — which reportedly is more like two years at $15.5 million once the voidable years and real guarantees are factored in — they got a least a moderate upgrade from the pass-rush specialist they let go: Julius Peppers.

The Bears gained two years and saved serious cap room by adding Allen. He’s two years younger, with roughly the same results last season (nine sacks, below his norm, compared to 7 1/2 for Peppers, also below his norm). His 128 1/2 career sacks in 10 seasons is second among active players.

He also joins a line that lost Henry Melton to the Cowboys in free agency — but added defensive ends Lamarr Houston from the Raiders and Willie Young from the Lions, and brought back Israel Idonije after a year in Detroit.

“We believe he's going to come in hungry and excited to be part of our football team, and we believe he'll fit right in with the other new players that we've added and the guys that are already on the defensive side of the ball,’’ head coach Marc Trestman said on the team’s website. “I know that our defensive coaches are excited as well."

Peppers, of course, landed on the Packers, the team the Bears faced on the final Sunday of the season last year with the NFC North title at stake. The Bears lost.

The Packers stayed in the division to bolster their defense. As it turns out, so did the Bears.


NO SURGERY FOR BILLS GREAT KELLY


Doctors treating Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly now say surgery is not the best option for dealing with his cancer.

Kelly's wife, Jill, posted an update online Wednesday saying the treatment plan for her husband has changed because the cancer is in areas from which it cannot be eradicated by surgery.

She says doctors believe chemotherapy and radiation are the best option given the cancer's complexity and aggressive nature.

The 54-year-old Buffalo Bills star underwent surgery last June to remove a squamous cell carcinoma from his upper jaw. He had been expected to undergo additional surgery this week or next week at a New York City hospital.

Kelly spent 11 seasons with the Bills and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.


EXTRA POINTS GET EXTRA LOOK


In the end, NFL owners decided that the extra point didn't need a dramatic change, and that replay needed only a few tweaks.

Owners at the NFL meetings in Orlando Wednesday voted down the proposal to move the extra-point kick attempt — deemed too easy and non-competitive by many — back to the 25-yard line. However, the league will experiment with extra-point kicks from the 20 in the first two weeks of the preseason this year.

A proposal to move kickoffs back to the 40-yard line was defeated.

The replay rules survived an even stronger challenge. The so-called NaVorro Bowman rule was passed, which adds fumble recoveries in the field of play to the list of reviewable plays — back when the 49ers' Bowman made his spectacular recovery of a Seahawks' fumble in the NFC championship game in January, the referee could not use replay to get the call right.

But a bid to make all plays reviewable — or open to coach's challenges — was defeated; so was a separate proposal to add personal fouls to calls that can be reviewed. A proposal to add cameras to all boundary lines, such as the goal line and sidelines, was tabled while the NFL studies it more. The Patriots, led by coach Bill Belichick, had proposed the idea of expanding replay to everything, and of putting more cameras to use; Washington asked to add personal fouls. Several coaches in Orlando this week, such as Baltimore's John Harbaugh, supported a mass expansion of replay over small, incremental changes like the Bowman rule.

The proposal to extend the height of the goalposts by 5 feet was approved; that will help officials judge whether kick attempts are good or not.


WALLACE ON TRADING BLOCK?


Mike Wallace is coming off his first season with the Miami Dolphins, but will it be his last? The team has raised its efforts in trying to trade the wide receiver, according to multiple reports from the NFL owners meetings in Orlando.

The 27-year-old just signed a five-year, $60 million contract with Miami last offseason. The former Pittsburgh Steelers speedy starter got $30 million guaranteed as a free agent, and is due $14 million in base salary for 2014.

Those are not only reasons for the Dolphins to move Wallace, but also for other teams not to be interested in making the deal. He didn't have a terrible season (73 catches, 930 yards, 5 touchdowns) in 2013, but it didn't quite live up to what they paid him. It also was concerning that Wallace wasn't a true go-to guy for quarterback Ryan Tannehill, as the pair didn't strike the right on-field chemistry.

It's yet another "buyer beware" tale from spending too much on one player in free agency.


MANZIEL’S PRO DAY PRIORITIES


Saving the best for last?

Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr — all first-round quarterback prospects — have been on display for NFL scouts during pro days. Now it’s Johnny Manziel’s turn.

Manziel ran a respectable 4.68 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, showed off his massive hands and came in a hair under 6-feet. But, he did not throw. He also did not participate in Texas A&M’s regular pro day. Now, all eyes are on Manziel, a proven winner and playmaker on the college level and still a question mark on the NFL level.

Manziel is one of the very best athletes in this draft and his arm strength and footwork are unlikely to be picked apart. Scouts will, however, key on his ability to make throws in tight windows to receivers tightly covered. They’ll also want to see him be able to step up in the pocket, collect himself and make throws. He is improvisational, keeps his eyes upfield and turns a busted play into a major gain as well as anyone. But, can he elude pressure and then reset his feet?

Finally, Manziel, who already underwent a battery of interviews at the Combine, will meet individually with coaches for further discussions about his leadership, character and off-field decision-making.


BILLS, STEELERS WANT JOINT PRACTICES


The Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers have asked the NFL to approve joint practice sessions during training camp this season and next year.

Buffalo coach Doug Marrone said holding practices against another team is something he's done in the past and "truly believes in."

The Steelers would host the Bills this summer at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., then would visit the Bills' camp at St. John Fisher College outside Rochester, N.Y. in 2015. The Steelers held joint training camp practices with the Washington Redskins in the 1980s and 1990s.

Marrone said he thinks the practices could provide "a good working relationship for both teams."

The exact dates will be determined after the NFL preseason schedule is release.

Contributors: David Steele, Rana L. Cash, Vinnie Iyer, The Associated Press