Jim Harbaugh Breaks Silence on Bears Trading for Keenan Allen

Getty New Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh.

New Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is not sure anyone has it better right now than Keenan Allen in his new home with the Chicago Bears.

In his first public comments about the trade, Harbaugh acknowledged the “business” side of the Chargers moving on from Allen while speaking at the NFL’s annual owners meeting in Orlando on March 25. The Bears swapped a 2024 fourth-round pick for the six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver and the remaining $23.1 million on his contract.

As a former Bear himself, though, Harbaugh sounded happy for Allen’s new situation.

“It’s the business part of it,” Harbaugh said, via ESPN’s Kris Rhim. “And everybody does what’s in their best interest. And Keenan, I mean, make $23 million a year and play in Chicago, you know, who’s got it better?”

The Bears and Chargers both have a chance to be winners in the Allen trade. Chicago acquires one of the steadiest receivers in the league who is coming off one of the finest seasons of his 11-year career. He caught a career-high 108 passes for the Chargers in 2023 and now brings his talents to Chicago to work opposite star DJ Moore and help along the development of the Bears’ soon-to-be-drafted rookie quarterback.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles solved a salary-cap problem and added more draft capital for its soft rebuild under Harbaugh. The Chargers also still own the No. 5 overall selection in the draft, putting them in an excellent position to replace Allen with a prized rookie.

Before the Bears get too excited, though, they must sort out their long-term plans.

Keenan Allen Creates ‘Balance’ for Bears Offense in 2024

The Bears did a massive favor for their rookie quarterback of the future when they traded for Allen on March 14. He is one of the best route-runners in the NFL and brings more than 900 catches and 10,000 receiving yards to a Chicago offense that, otherwise, employed Moore and a collection of young receivers with minimal production.

Historically speaking, the Bears might now have the best receiving duo ever assembled for a No. 1-selected quarterback entering his first season in the NFL.

“I thought it was an absolute perfect fit,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles said Monday, via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “I don’t think there’s a better receiver in the league that can be better for a young quarterback in terms of understanding the NFL, timing, space, reading defenses. So, I think that’s a great addition.

“It balances the field with DJ on the other side, Cole [Kmet] and [Gerald] Everett at tight end and [D’Andre] Swift at running back. We have a lot of really cool things that can get going and allow us to be dynamic and really special.”

Will Bears Sign Keenan Allen to Contract Extension?

The Bears have secured Allen as a weapon for their rookie quarterback’s debut season, but they have some work to do if they want to keep him around for the long term.

Allen has just one year left on the four-year, $80.1 million contract he signed with the Chargers in 2021, one of the reasons why they opted to move on. He also turns 32 in April and has some recent injury concerns, missing 11 games over the past two years.

Even still, Poles told reporters at Monday’s owners meeting that he would “love” to sign Allen to a long-term contract; though, he conceded other extensions might take priority.

“I try to be intentional with the order that we do extensions, so we’ll review that and kind of see what our order looks like,” Poles said Monday, via The Athletic’s Adam Jahns. “But for what he stands for, I would love to have him long term.”