The Bears were so ecstatic to get six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen to Halas Hall that they sent a private jet to pick him up. Even after 11 seasons in the NFL and over $100 million in career earnings, he’d never been on one and thought that was pretty cool.
It was a small gesture, but important for a franchise that’s trying to finally do something new. Allen is the biggest name they’ve acquired since trading for future Hall of Famer Khalil Mack six years ago, and the Bears want him to see they aren’t the same team that prompted former All-Pro Muhsin Muhammad to say Chicago is “where receivers go to die.”
“I don’t know anything about that,” Allen said with a laugh when asked Saturday about their history of frustrated wide receivers.
Instead, he’s thinking big. He didn’t plan on being a Bear, saying he had hoped to play his entire career with the Chargers. When they inquired about restructuring his contract, though, it was a non-starter for him. He believes he’s worth every cent of his $23.1 million salary-cap hit.
They gave him and his agent permission to talk to two teams that showed interest, the Jets and Texans, but Bears general manager Ryan Poles surprisingly swooped in Thursday to land him in exchange for a fourth-round pick.
Allen reacted nonchalantly with, “Alright, cool,” when he got the news, but quickly imagined what the Bears’ offense could be with him, wide receiver DJ Moore and tight end Cole Kmet in the passing game, freshly arrived Pro Bowl running back D’Andre Swift and, likely, USC star Caleb Williams stepping in at quarterback if the Bears take him with the No. 1 pick next month.
He was especially hyped about teaming up with Moore, who had 96 receptions, 1,364 yards and eight touchdown catches last season — all career highs. Allen, at 31, delivered one of his best seasons, too, with 108 catches for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns, giving the Bears their most accomplished 1-2 punch at wide receiver since Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey a decade ago.
“Any time you’ve got two guys that can make plays and beat man coverage, it’s going to be tough,” Allen said. “If you put both of us together, it’s going to be pretty good.”
Theoretically.
Allen’s past performance is remarkable. After missing most of 2016 with a torn ACL, he has played 101 of a possible 115 games since — four of those absences were because of a heel injury at the end of last season, and he said he could’ve played through it if the Chargers were vying for a playoff spot — and topped 1,100 yards in five out of seven seasons. Over those seven seasons, he averaged 98 catches, 1,130 yards and six touchdowns.
However, he turns 32 next month and is in the final year of his contract. It’s hard to predict whether he’ll be one-and-done with the Bears or a longer-term piece; Poles hasn’t spoken publicly about the trade.
Allen, of course, expects to do what he’s always done: produce.
“Nothing changes but the jersey, for me,” he said.
Nonetheless, the move has no downside for the Bears. The pick Poles gave up was No. 110 overall, so there wasn’t much chance of landing a starter there anyway. The contract is weighty, sure, but the Bears have tons of salary-cap space to absorb it. And after Moore, all of the wide receivers are fledgling.
And while there’s no certainty of how long Allen can play at this level, he’s precise, smart and hungry. His lone lament from his Chargers years was that they made the playoffs only three times. The Bears have an arduous climb ahead from 7-10 to actually contending, but he shares their ambition.
“Absolutely,” Allen said. “When you start to see the roster shaping up the way it is, we’re going to have a good shot.”
