Bears GM Hints at Big Keenan Allen Decision After Trade
By Jovan Alford
The Chicago Bears have been busy this offseason as they are looking to take that leap this season with a rookie quarterback.
The Bears have been intentional about adding weapons to the offense, signing D’Andre Swift, and Gerald Everett, and acquiring star receiver Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers. If you are a Bears fan or even Caleb Williams, you have to be excited about the situation you are walking into.
However, the Bears’ front office has an interesting decision to make regarding Allen’s future, as he’s in the final year of a four-year, $80 million contract extension that he signed in 2020 with the Chargers.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles was asked about a possible extension for Allen on Monday at the owners' meetings and gave a promising answer, which should excite fans.
“I try to be intentional with the order that we do extensions, so we’ll review that and kind of see what our order looks like, " Poles said (h/t ESPN’s Courtney Cronin). “But for what he stands for, I would love to have him long term."
Poles didn’t show all his cards on Monday, but if Allen continues to perform as he did with Los Angeles, the Bears will find a way to get something done. The 31-year-old receiver is coming off an excellent 2023 campaign, where he had 108 receptions (150 targets) for 1,243 yards and eight touchdowns.
It might be hard for Allen to have similar production in his first year with the Bears, as the team also has D.J. Moore. However, if you are the Bears, that’s a good problem to have!
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