On Thursday night, the Chicago Bears orchestrated their most significant move in free agency, as confirmed by announcements from both teams.
They struck a deal with the Los Angeles Chargers, trading a fourth-round pick for wide receiver Keenan Allen.”
Allen, 31, is entering the final year of the four-year contract extension he signed in 2020 and is due a $5 million roster bonus Sunday. After declining to take a pay cut from the Chargers, he has a new home in the Bears’ offense opposite wideout DJ Moore.”
Six-time Pro Bowl selection Keenan Allen will reunite with wide receivers coach Chris Beatty, who coached him at the Chargers from 2021 to ’23.
Last season, Allen set a career high with 108 catches, tallying 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns, marking the sixth time he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in his 11-year career.
Chicago has four picks remaining in the draft (Nos. 1, 9, 75, and 122 via Philadelphia) after sending one of two fourth-round picks (No. 110) to the Chargers on Thursday.
“We’re extremely excited to add Keenan to our team,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles said. “His body of work speaks for itself and we look forward to him elevating our offense.”
Having caught passes from Justin Herbert for the past four seasons, Keenan Allen faces a change as he teams up with a new quarterback in 2024. Justin Fields, in his fourth NFL season, leads the Chicago Bears, who are expected to use their No. 1 pick on USC’s Caleb Williams, the consensus top quarterback prospect.
While there have been hints of potentially trading Fields this offseason, he remains on the Bears’ roster as the first wave of free agency concludes, leaving over a month until the draft.
Last month at the NFL combine, coach Matt Eberflus emphasized the need to bolster Chicago’s wide receiver corps.
With former Bears receiver Darnell Mooney joining the Atlanta Falcons on a three-year deal, DJ Moore, Velus Jones Jr., Tyler Scott, and Nsimba Webster are the remaining receivers on the Bears’ roster, with Webster predominantly on the practice squad.
“We don’t have a lot of depth there, first of all,” Eberflus said last month. “That’s the first part. Adding some dynamic pieces there through free agency or through the draft potentially, so to me when you’re trying to defend that, when you have a weapon at tight end and you have a weapon at the X receiver like DJ.
When you add a piece or two to the other side, it really balances you out. It’s hard to defend for sure.”
The addition of Keenan Allen bolsters Chicago’s receiving corps with another established star. Allen’s recent season marked his fifth with 100 receptions, tying him for the third-most in NFL history alongside Antonio Brown and Brandon Marshall.
Notably, Allen holds records for most games with 15 receptions (3) and ranks fourth all-time for games with 10 receptions. Last season, he recorded four games with 10 receptions, tying for the second-most in the NFL.
In addition to Allen, the Bears have recently added two other offensive weapons: former Chargers tight end Gerald Everett, signing a two-year deal, and running back D’Andre Swift, securing a three-year, $24 million contract.
Among Chargers players facing significant cap hits next season, Allen’s departure stands out alongside Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, and recently released Mike Williams.
Allen’s tenure with the Chargers, drafted by the team in 2013, saw him become their longest-serving player, setting franchise records for yards and receptions by a receiver.
Despite missing the final four games of 2023 due to a heel injury, Allen set the Chargers’ single-season reception record, emerging as their most dependable weapon amidst receiving corps inconsistencies.
“What Keenan Allen has meant to the Chargers for more than a decade cannot adequately be expressed through mere words,” Chargers owner Dean Spanos said in a prepared statement Thursday night.
“There will only be one Keenan Allen, and we cannot thank him enough for the contributions he has made to our organization both on and off the field.”
During January, Keenan Allen emerged as the most outspoken among the Chargers’ stars, expressing his desire to remain in Los Angeles.
While Khalil Mack acknowledged the business aspect of the NFL, Joey Bosa maintained silence on his future, and Mike Williams expressed a desire to return, albeit less emphatically than Allen.
“I don’t want to go nowhere else,” Allen said then. “I’ve been here 10 years, like you said, the longest guy on the team, so I’m not looking forward to anything else.”
Allen went on to say he would play for only a select few teams if he were traded — otherwise, he would retire.
“If It did come down to that, adios, amigos,” Allen said then with a smile. “I’ll get picked up in the offseason or right before the playoffs like them old heads are doing.”
Keenan Allen’s departure coincides with a changing leadership landscape, as the general manager who drafted him, Tom Telesco, has departed. New general manager Joe Hortiz and head coach Jim Harbaugh lack the same connections to Allen.
In Allen’s absence, Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston emerge as the Chargers’ primary receivers. With the No. 5 pick in the draft, and given the depth of this year’s receiver class, it appears probable that the Chargers will target the position.
