Keenan Allen Trade Must Be Pursued by Bears amid Latest Chargers, NFL Rumors

The Chicago Bears have been active in the early goings of the 2024 offseason, extending Jaylon Johnson, signing D'Andre Swift, signing Kevin Byard and trading for Ryan Bates.

However, general manager Ryan Poles shouldn't be finished making moves, and he should be keeping an eye on the Los Angeles Chargers. According to The MMQB's Albert Breer, the cap-strapped Chargers are potentially open to dealing several impact players.

As Breer noted, wide receiver Keenan Allen is the least likely to be moved, but he's the player Chicago must pursue. The Bears have their No. 1 receiver in D.J. Moore, but No. 2 wideout Darnell Mooney just left to join the Atlanta Falcons as a free agent.

Presumably, the Bears are going to move off of Justin Fields and draft a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick in next month's draft. USC's Caleb Williams is the logical target there, though, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, Chicago is still in the evaluation process.

Regardless of who the Bears have under center in Week 1, they could use a high-end wideout opposite Moore. New offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was used to dialing up plays for both Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf with the Seattle Seahawks.

Allen, who amassed 108 receptions for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns last season, certainly fits the mold.

The Bears are in the receiver market—they tried and failed to snag Gabe Davis, according to Fox Sports' Henry McKenna:

However, the free-agent market is rapidly dwindling. Adding Allen would instantly give Chicago two Pro Bowl-caliber receivers, and the 31-year-old's experience would be valuable for a young signal-caller.

Allen undoubtedly had a huge role in Justin Herbert rapidly becoming the Chargers' franchise quarterback. All could do the same for Williams or another rookie-to-be-named.

Would it take a large offer to pry Allen away from L.A.? It probably would, and Mike Williams—who is coming off a torn ACL and entering the final year of his deal—might be a cheaper alternative.

Yet, the same reasons that may make Williams more "tradeable" could also be problematic for Chicago. The Bears are already paying Moore on a long-term deal, and if they draft a receiver early—Chicago also owns the ninth overall pick—they'll owe another big receiver contract in three or four years.

Allen is entering the final year of his deal, so Chicago wouldn't be on the hook beyond 2024 if he starts to decline. Allen would at least be around for the next quarterback's all-important rookie campaign in that scenario.

And if Allen continues to be a top-tier pass-catcher, Chicago may be able to negotiate a more reasonable short-term extension.

Allen is, of course, set to carry a base salary of $18.1 million in 2024, which is why the Chargers are even considering moving him. However, the Bears still have $58.7 million in projected cap space heading into the new league year.

The Bears would have little trouble absorbing Allen's salary, and doing so would give them flexibility in the draft.

A rookie prospect like LSU's Malik Nabers or Washington's Rome Odunze would pair well with Moore. However, there's no guarantee a receiver the Bears love will be available at No. 9. Having Allen in the fold would prevent Poles from feeling like he has to force a receiver selection.

At the same time, Allen's contract wouldn't preclude the Bears from taking a receiver early.

What Chicago cannot afford to do is wait and hope that the right receiver falls to them in the draft. Barring a massive surprise, the Bears will have a new quarterback of the future in a matter of weeks, and they cannot surround him with a not-good-enough supporting cast as they did early in Fields' career.

Trading for Allen would ensure that, at receiver anyway, the Bears would be good enough.