Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen arrived via a trade. Despite being in the final year of his contract, he likes what he sees in his new team to consider an extension.
Chicago Bears General Manager Ryan Poles made quite a few surprising moves in his attempt to improve the roster this offseason. He completely overhauled the offense and it looks like it could be a high-powered one. One of the biggest surprises was the acquisition of wide receiver Keenan Allen.
Allen is a six-time Pro Bowl receiver who spent his 11-year career with the Los Angeles Chargers. He is one of the elite wide receivers in the NFL. This offseason, the Chargers approached him to rework his contract. The Chargers were in salary cap hell and they wanted to free up some cap money.
Allen refused to do it. He wanted to keep his contract exactly the way it was originally. He even considered retiring rather than redoing his contract.
The Charges and Allen were in a standoff. Then Poles came around. He offered Los Angeles a fourth-round pick for Allen. Instead of losing Allen for nothing, the Chargers pulled the trigger on the deal. Suddenly, Keenan Allen became a Bears wide receiver.
The fans were all over themselves at the thought of having Allen and D.J. Moore play on the same team. Moore is another elite receiver. Together, Allen and Moore
© Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK
amassed 2,607 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. Imagine having them do that with the Bears.
In 2023, all the targets for the Bears combined for 3,096 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns. These targets include wide receivers, tight ends, and running backs. Now they can have just two players come close to that total, then have the other targets get their yards.
Then Poles went out and drafted one of the top wide receiver prospects, Rome Odunze. Now the Bears could have three WR1s on the same team.
That is an incredible situation to have on a team that has struggled on offense for the better part of four decades. Now we see a Chicago Bears offense that can blow up the scoreboard. Fans are not used to seeing that so the possibility of that happening is exciting.
Allen is also impressed with the offense
One of the people who are impressed with what Poles and the Chicago Bears did with the offense is Allen himself. He is used to being on high-octane offenses. For many of the seasons in Los Angeles, the Chargers amassed a lot of yards and scored a lot of points.
One of the problems in Los Angeles was the defense. Los Angeles has had some good defenses but not consistent enough. Now, in Chicago, he could be on a team that has a great offense, defense, and even special teams. This might be the best team he has ever been a part of.
© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
That has Allen excited. This is the final year of his contract. His salary is a $23.1 million salary cap hit. Many feel that Allen wants his last big money year before he rides off into the sunset. Again, he considered retirement before the Bears came along.
However, Allen is so impressed with this offense that he is already open to re-signing a new contract in Chicago. He would not mind sticking around if this offense does what many expect.
As far as an extension, I’m going to let the play speak for itself, and if they offer me something that I like, we’ll go from there.
Allen loves the talent surrounding him now. He is high on Odunze.
Keenan Allen on Rome Odunze. ?
Kid is gonna be a star. #Bears pic.twitter.com/8JqIo6c3II
— Sky Kruse (@KruseSports_) June 4, 2024
The feeling from the Bears is mutual. Head coach Matt Eberflus is excited about having Allen on the roster.
All the NFL coaches have seen Keenan for a lot of years and the first thing that comes to mind is that he’s crafty. He is so crafty with his route running, it seems like he’s always open, even when I used to double-cover him…He understands his body and understands his way. He’s really friendly to the quarterback because he’s a really big target and he’s very good at what he does.
If Allen can stay healthy and have another Pro Bowl season it will make it easier for the Bears to want to bring him back. Having an exciting and great player like Allen to play alongside Moore and Odunze is sure to bring a lot of big plays and bring in many more wins. Let’s hope this is the beginning of a new era of winning Chicago Bears football.
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