After just 18 months, Jared Allen’s days as a Chicago Bear appear to be over.

The Tribune confirmed Allen has been traded to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a conditional draft pick. Fox’s Jay Glazer, a close friend of Allen’s, originally reported the deal.

It registers as a significant move for both the team and the player, a parting of ways between a veteran in the home stretch of his career and a team in the very early stages of a massive rebuild.

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Allen, who was asked to make a change from defensive end to outside linebacker when the Bears shifted to a 3-4 defensive system last spring, was without a sack through the first three games. He has been credited with five total tackles but hadn’t emerged as an impact playmaker for a defense badly needing one.

The Bears originally signed Allen in March 2014, giving him a four-year, $32 million deal in which $15.5 million was guaranteed. But that signing was made by former general manager Phil Emery. After Allen struggled through his first season as a Bear, recording a career-low five sacks, the transition to a new position only toughened his efforts to regain his form as a significant pass-rushing threat.

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