Allen said Monday that he's "going to play as long as I can" and is willing to sign an extension with Chicago, Patrick Finley of The Chicago-Sun Times reports. The Bears reportedly haven't offered anything since trading for Allen in March, which isn't exactly a surprise given that they drafted Rome Odunze six weeks later and may want to sign DJ Moore to an extension this offseason. Regardless of what happens with the contracts, first overall pick Caleb Williams will have one of the best WR trios in the league, with Moore and Allen both coming off 2023 seasons with career highs for yards per game and fantasy points per game. Allen is likely looking at a big volume dip in his age-32 season after averaging a league-high 11.5 targets in his 13 games for the Chargers last year, but he doesn't seem to be thinking about retirement just yet, instead perhaps looking for another productive season and a big fourth contract. He's expected to be the Bears' slot receiver in three-wide formations and their Z receiver in two-wide looks.
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Allen said Monday that he's "going to play as long as I can" and is willing to sign an extension with Chicago, Patrick Finley of The Chicago-Sun Times reports. The Bears reportedly haven't offered anything since trading for Allen in March, which isn't exactly a surprise given that they drafted Rome Odunze six weeks later and may want to sign DJ Moore to an extension this offseason. Regardless of what happens with the contracts, first overall pick Caleb Williams will have one of the best WR trios in the league, with Moore and Allen both coming off 2023 seasons with career highs for yards per game and fantasy points per game. Allen is likely looking at a big volume dip in his age-32 season after averaging a league-high 11.5 targets in his 13 games for the Chargers last year, but he doesn't seem to be thinking about retirement just yet, instead perhaps looking for another productive season and a big fourth contract. He's expected to be the Bears' slot receiver in three-wide formations and their Z receiver in two-wide looks.
Allen, DJ Moore and Rome Odunze all worked out with new Bears QB Caleb Williams in April, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports. Williams and Odunze weren't on the team at the time, though in Williams' everyone knew he'd be going to Chicago with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 Draft. The Bears then took Odunze eight picks later, completing a fearsome WR trio with Allen and Moore. It's a situation that will make it nearly impossible for Allen to match his target volume from his years in San Diego and Los Angeles, even if Odunze needs some time to adjust to the pro game. Allen celebrated his 32nd birthday during the draft and is entering the final year of his contract, with GM Ryan Poles having said in March that he expected the veteran WR to sign an extension at some points. It's unclear if the Odunze selection changes the expectation for Alllen to sign a multi-year deal, as the Bears have enough cap flexibility to keep all three WRs for the next few seasons if that's what they choose to prioritize.
GM Ryan Poles said Monday that he thinks Allen will sign an extension with the Bears "down the road" after the team handles other contracts, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports. Poles seems to be suggesting that the Bears first want to work out extensions for players that have been with the team longer, though they already took care of two big ones in DE Montez Sweat (November) and CB Jaylon Johnson (March). Allen's new partner at wide receiver might be next in line, as DJ Moore's contract has two more seasons and $32.1 million but nothing guaranteed. Allen has one year and $23.1 million remaining, with the large sum explaining why the Chargers traded him for a mere fourth-round pick on the heels of a 2023 campaign in which he had career highs of 95.6 receiving yards and 21.5 PPR points per game (both numbers ranking Top 4 among all WRs). Allen missed the final four games with a heel injury and will turn 32 in April, but there's been no report of offseason surgery or any complications, so he should be a huge asset in the short term for presumed No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.
Allen (heel) was traded from the Chargers to the Bears in exchange for a fourth-round pick Thursday, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports. Allen has been a key figure in the Chargers' offense for the last 11 seasons, but salary cap problems and a new coaching staff and front office have caused the team to move on. Despite entering his age-32 season, Allen has shown few signs of decline, as he racked up 150 targets across only 13 games in 2023. He turned that into 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns while also tallying a career-best 19 receptions of at least 20 yards. Allen will face some questions on his new team, however, as DJ Moore is the established top pass catcher in the offense, meaning Allen could lose out on some of his prolific target volume. While the Bears are expected to draft Caleb Williams with the top overall pick, it's also still unclear who will be under center in Week 1.
His return at the end of the week suggests Allen will try to play through a quad injury one week after overcoming a shoulder issue to catch 14 passes for 106 yards in a 20-10 loss to Baltimore. He'll be facing a lesser defense if he suits up this week, playing at New England, but the lack of practice participation before Friday suggests his quad is more bothersome than the shoulder was.
Allen turned in another big game despite uncharacteristically dropping a pair of passes near the goal line. After those miscues, though, he hauled in a 10-yard touchdown during the fourth quarter. In topping 100 yards for the fourth game this season, Allen also surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the campaign, evidencing his status as one of the league's most consistent wide receivers.
Allen didn't practice Wednesday, but his return for Thursday's session is a step in the right direction. On Wednesday, head coach Brandon Staley said that he's hopeful Allen will be able to play this weekend against the Packers, but it's not yet clear whether the wideout will head into the matchup with or without an injury designation.
Allen briefly left the game with an apparent shoulder injury, but he returned relatively early after the event occurred. There was some thought the veteran could be used as a decoy after, but he pretty quickly established that there weren't any long-term effects. Allen's presence was critical in the game-tying possession near the end of the fourth quarter, as he craftily got open on a key fourth-and-one play, only to capitalize on shoddy tackling and maneuver into a 38-yard touchdown to knot the game at 38. Expect more of the same next week against a struggling Packers defense.
Allen was deemed questionable to return after going to the locker room to have his shoulder examined, but the veteran wide receiver feels good enough to keep playing Sunday. Allen will look to add to what is already an exceptional Week 10 stat line of 10 catches for 137 yards and one touchdown on 13 targets.