Keenan Allen, Chargers Agree to Contract in NFL Free Agency After Bears Stint

Free agent wide receiver Keenan Allen and the Los Angeles Chargers have agreed to a contract in free agency, the team announced Tuesday.

Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported on the terms.

Last season, the 33-year-old Allen caught 70 passes for 744 yards and seven touchdowns for the Chicago Bears.

The six-time Pro Bowler played for the Chargers in his first 11 NFL seasons. The third-round pick out of Cal had five 100-catch seasons and a quintet of 1,000-yard campaigns.

His best season was his last one in town, as he amassed 108 catches for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns in just 13 games. He missed the final month with a heel injury.

Allen still clearly has plenty left in the tank despite a decade-plus in the NFL. Ultimately, the end of his Charger career occurred after he (understandably, of course) refused to take a pay cut and restructure his contract. Allen was also due a $5 million roster bonus in March.

Instead, the Chargers, who entered the 2024 offseason with serious salary cap issues, sent Allen to the Bears for a fourth-round draft choice. Allen had one year remaining on a four-year, $45 million extension at the time.

Meanwhile, the Bears were building up a team from scratch and needed help around their future franchise signal-caller, which ended up being USC's Caleb Williams after Chicago used its No. 1 overall draft pick on him.

The Bears clearly wanted Allen beyond 2024, though, as he hinted in his welcome press conference.

"Yeah, absolutely," Allen told reporters, per Alyssa Barbieri of Bears Wire. "You know we wouldn't be here right now, obviously. Yeah, we'll get there down the line."

However, the Chargers have stepped in to sign Allen, ending his time in Chicago after one year. Allen remains productive even after 12 seasons in the league, so this is a nice pickup for Los Angeles to round out their wide receiver room.

Allen's absence away from the team he called home for a decade-plus ultimately lasted just one year. Los Angeles needed some wideout help after Mike Williams, Allen's old teammate, retired, so Allen is now back in town to help out. He joins a Chargers wideout room that's led by second-year pro Ladd McConkey, who broke out in his rookie season (82 catches, 1,149 yards, seven touchdowns). L.A. also lost Josh Palmer in free agency to the Buffalo Bills, but the team brought in rookie Tre Harris from Ole Miss in the second round of the draft.

Allen would be the veteran in the room and certainly provide a great security blanket and chain-mover for quarterback Justin Herbert as he did in the past. Ultimately, this is a great addition for L.A. as it looks to build upon an 11-win season and playoff appearance in head coach Jim Harbaugh's first year.