Fourteen years ago this summer, Keenan Allen left Greensboro, North Carolina, for the University of California.
In many ways, he hadn’t left the Golden State since — until now.
After becoming one of the great receivers in Cal history, Allen went to the Chargers in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. In 2017, they moved from San Diego to Los Angeles, where he continued a standout career that has earned him six Pro Bowl berths in 11 seasons.
Since leaving high school, he has played in home stadiums in Berkeley, San Diego, Carson and Los Angeles. When the Bears traded for him in March for a fourth-round pick, it marked the first time his NFL employer wasn’t located within the same 125-mile span.
Allen’s family will stay back in Southern California this season while he plays out the final year of his contract, which pays $23.1 million in 2024.
“I haven’t lived without them my whole time in the NFL, so [I’m] just going to have to figure it out being by myself for a little while,” he said after Bears mandatory minicamp Tuesday at Halas Hall.
Allen, however, is open to making the Chicago area his new home.
“It wouldn’t be hard to adjust to a city like this,” he said.
He already likes the golf courses in the area. His new teammates have seemed supportive in the little time they’ve spent together; Tuesday was Allen’s first time at Halas Hall since before voluntary organized team activities.
Most important, there’s a lot of money to be made. The NFL’s wide receiver market is exploding and might not stop until training camp. On Monday, the Vikings gave Justin Jefferson a four-year, $140 million deal that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the history of the sport.
“The market just got reset,” Allen said.
Three other receivers got deals this offseason that put them in the top five in average annual value. In April, the Eagles gave A.J. Brown a three-year, $96 million deal, and the Lions inked Amon-Ra St. Brown to a four-year, $120.1 million contract. Last week, the Dolphins gave Jaylen Waddle a three-year, $84.75 million deal.
It’s a good time to be a receiver.
The Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb, the 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk and two Bengals — Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins — could land big contracts in the next few months, too.
“I’m going to play as long as I can,” Allen said. “As far as an extension, I’m going to let the play speak for itself, and if they offer me something that I like, we’ll go from there.”
The Bears have yet to engage Allen on a new deal. And after drafting Washington receiver Rome Odunze ninth overall, they’re not under any real pressure to do so.
Allen is 32 and has missed 11 games to injury over the last two seasons. But if he’s as good this year as he was last season, when he had a career-high 95.6 yards per game, there will be a robust market for him — unless the Bears can extend him first.
“That’s the goal right now, is to go out and do what I always do and just try to remain who I am,” Allen said. “The players are going to continue to get better. They’re younger, bigger, stronger, faster, and they continue to raise the bar, so as long as they’re taking care of their job, [that’s fine]. And vets like me, we just continue to do what we do and take the back seat and get paid as well.”
Allen offers tremendous value to the Bears in quarterback Caleb Williams’ first season. They’ve given the No. 1 draft pick perhaps the best receiving trio in franchise history: Allen, Odunze and DJ Moore. Allen agrees with Moore’s declaration that the three will race each other to 1,000 yards.
“Once you get the ball, you’re able to see who can do what,” he said.
Allen is considered one of the game’s great route-running technicians. As he did with the Chargers, he’s expected to play the slot when there’s one tight end on the field. He would play “Z” — the flanker who typically goes in motion — when there are two.
“He understands his body and understands his way,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “He’s really friendly to the quarterback because he’s a really big target and he’s very good at what he does.”
His ability to get open — and be where Williams expects him to be every time — will be essential to new coordinator Shane Waldron’s offense having a smooth launch.
“Whenever you have a veteran like that, it’s a great thing for younger guys to look to — even guys like myself,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “Just the way he works, comes in and takes care of his business. The way he’s survived and thrived in this league up to this point is really impressive.”
Allen has done so with two star QBs. All but one of his 139 career starts was alongside Philip Rivers or Justin Herbert. Both had unreal confidence, Allen said.
“They believe in their arm, they believe in their talent, and they believe in what they see,” he said. “You’ve got to be able to see it, and you’ve got to be able to make something happen right now. If you second-guess yourself just for a little bit and you hang on just too long, then something bad can happen.”
Eberflus smiled when asked about Allen’s accomplished former running mates.
“And he gets [one] again,” he said of Williams.
If he can help Williams take off, Allen will have a new experience in Chicago. The buzz here will be nothing like what he experienced with the nomadic Chargers.
“His experiences really help him to come into this spot and embrace this city and embrace the fans,” Eberflus said. “I think that’s really where he’s going to feel it the most, because of the passion of this area and the fans. He’ll really feel that. That will be different.”
