The Chicago Bears have a handful of skill players who could win them a game with one big play, but it is a newly-added veteran who may prove the greatest needle-mover for a team that all of a sudden appears built to win now.
That player is wide receiver Keenan Allen, for whom the Bears traded a fourth-round pick to the Los Angeles Chargers and, in turn, took on a $23.1 million salary cap hit for the upcoming season.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report made the case for Allen as Chicago’s “biggest X-factor” over rookie starting quarterback and No. 1 pick Caleb Williams on Tuesday, August 20.
“Allen could be the key to allowing Williams to meet, or even exceed expectations, as a rookie. He’s one of the savviest pass-catchers in the league, and he can show Williams exactly what it takes to find NFL success. He and [DJ] Moore can do the same for other Bears skill players like Cole Kmet and rookie wideout Rome Odunze,” Knox wrote. “On paper, Allen is the perfect veteran leader for Chicago’s new-look offense. For him to maximize its growth, however, he’ll have to stay on the field and continue producing at a Pro Bowl level in his 12th NFL season.”
Keenan Allen’s Contract Situation Could Lead to Short Tenure With Bears
GettyWide receiver Keenan Allen of the Chicago Bears.
Fowler’s argument for Allen as the offense’s most important player is a bet on veteran leadership over potential tension in a new workplace that might become an old one with relatively haste.
Allen, 32, wants a contract extension at a time when players like his teammate Moore ($110 million) are cashing in on a hot market at the position. That’s a tricky spot for Bears GM Ryan Poles after trading a valuable asset to acquire Allen and taking on big money in 2024 to do so.
That Allen missed four games last season and seven contests the year prior due to injury further complicates the matter. A wait-and-see approach to Allen’s health and production this year is the path for now, and both sides appear to be treading it smoothly enough to this point.
But any injury or extended slump or lack of chemistry could throw a hitch in the process and drastically change its dynamic.
Rome Odunze’s Development Could Render Keenan Allen Less Valuable to Bears Long-Term
GettyWide receiver Rome Odunze of the Chicago Bears.
That said, Allen is the type of receiver who can be a rookie quarterback’s dream. The wideout caught 100 passes for 922 yards and 8 TDs across 14 games on his way to a Pro Bowl during the rookie campaign of Chargers QB Justin Herbert in 2020.
Allen has been to the Pro Bowl six of the last seven years, missing out only in 2022 when health issues took seven games from him. Not only should he tangibly help Williams, he should tangibly and intangibly impact Odunze as well.
The Bears selected Odunze with the No. 9 pick in the draft, and he has the talent to contribute right away. Ironically, the better Odunze is on his relatively affordable rookie contract, the less Chicago will need to spend big to bring Allen back in 2025 and beyond.
However, if that obvious fact doesn’t stand in the way of a mentor-mentee relationship between Allen and Odunze this season, the benefits to the latter could prove as long-lasting as they do substantial.
And in the right context, Allen could be not just be the biggest X-factor for the Bears in 2024, he could produce a residual impact on Moore, Odunze and Williams that endures several seasons into the future.
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