Getty Wide receiver Keenan Allen, formerly of the Los Angeles Chargers, will play for the Chicago Bears in 2024.
The Chicago Bears came out of nowhere on Thursday with a blockbuster trade for an elite wide receiver.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles has executed a deal with the Los Angeles Chargers for wide receiver Keenan Allen, per a report from Jay Glazer of FOX Sports on March 14.
Scoopage… Bears have traded for WR Keenan Allen sending Chargers a fourth rounder. @NFLonFOX
“Scoopage … Bears have traded for WR Keenan Allen sending Chargers a fourth rounder,” Glazer wrote on X.
Allen, who will play next season at 32 years old, earned Pro Bowl honors for the sixth time in the last seven years in 2023. He finished the campaign with 108 receptions for 1,243 yards and 7 TDs, per Pro Football Reference.
The wideout is entering the final season of a four-year, $80 million contract in 2024.
DJ Moore Takes to Social Media After Bears Trade for Keenan Allen
GettyChicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore.
Bears receiver DJ Moore was a fan of the move, reacting in much the same way most of Chicago’s NFC North opponents are probably reacting after hearing the news.
“😬 😬 😬,” Moore posted to X.
For those wondering, Moore’s choice of emoji means “yikes.”
Allen playing alongside Moore is a scary proposition in a couple different ways, for a couple different reasons.
For Chicago’s competition, Allen represents a serious challenge next to the 26-year-old Moore, who put up a career year in 2023 with 96 catches for 1,364 yards and 8 TDs. The two players will also presumably catch passes off the arm of rookie QB and prospective No. 1 pick Caleb Williams of USC, who has garnered more player comps to three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes than any signal-caller to enter the NFL over the past seven years.
Add the signing of running back D’Andre Swift, who broke out with 1,049 rushing yards and 5 rushing TDs in a Pro Bowl campaign for the Philadelphia Eagles last season, and the Bears should field a formidable offense Week 1.
However, there is also a potential “yikes” for Chicago in regards to Allen’s health. The wideout is entering his 12th NFL season and has missed 11 season games over the past two years, including four last season.
If Allen remains healthy, the Bears have arguably the best duo of pass-catchers in football flanked by a solid tight end in Cole Kmet. If he doesn’t, though, Allen’s $23.1 million cap hit will be a financial albatross around the Bears’ proverbial neck.
Trading for Keenan Allen May Impact How Bears Use 9th Pick in NFL Draft
GettyWashington Huskies wide receiver Rome Odunze.
Chicago can mitigate Allen’s cap hit by offering him an extension, though that is an even riskier proposition as he turns the corner into his mid-30s. There is also the upcoming NFL draft to consider.
The Bears own the No. 1 pick, which they are likely to spend on Williams. However, the team also holds the rights to the No. 9 selection.
Both Rome Odunze of Washington and Malik Nabers of LSU could be available in that spot, and both project to be potentially elite at the professional level.
Even with the addition of Allen, Chicago can justify drafting Odunze or Nabers, particularly if the team doesn’t plan to extend Allen or attempt to re-sign him in free agency next year. Both Odunze and Nabers are likely to play at a high level long after Allen retires and will play the next four seasons on affordable rookie contracts.
However, because the Bears traded for Allen, it is now more likely that the team will use the 9th pick to select an edge rusher or an offensive tackle, which each remain positions of need.