Keenan Allen

Raiders Could Both Sign And Draft A WR

April 12th, 2025 at 4:35pm CST by Ely Allen

While having a record-setter at tight end does kind of mask other shortcomings in the passing game for the Raiders, there still seems to be a noticeable need for help at wide receiver. According to Tashan Reed of The Athletic, help could come through both free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft this offseason. Per Reed, Las Vegas is likely to sign a veteran receiver, but it won’t prevent them from drafting one, as well.

The Raiders do currently roster starting-caliber wide receivers in Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker, but after the departure of Davante Adams last year, they struggled to find contributions from a supporting cast of DJ Turner, Terrace Marshall, Alex Bachman, and company. Besides Meyers and Tucker, the returning roster in 2025 combined for only 56 total yards with contributions from Bachman (31 yards), Kristian Wilkerson (18), and Ramel Keyton (7). The only addition to the group so far has been former Titans wide receiver Kyle Phillips, who totaled 259 yards over two years in Tennessee and didn’t play last season.

There are a number of impact options the team could sign before or after the draft, depending on the approach they’d like to take. Spending more money on more established veterans by signing Keenan Allen or reuniting with Amari Cooper could allow them to take a later flyer in the draft on a wide receiver who may need time to develop. Otherwise, Las Vegas could fetch a bargain on veterans like Diontae Johnson, Tyler Lockett, Robert Woods, Nelson Agholor, DJ Chark, or Tyler Boyd, which would put more pressure on them to find a more impactful rookie receiver in the draft.

The team isn’t expected to go after a pass catcher in the first round. At No. 6 overall, the team has been linked more to options like Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Michigan defensive tackle Mason Graham, or Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker. More likely, Vegas could attempt to address wide receiver at the top of the second round, should they fail to land Allen or Cooper in free agency. At No. 37 overall, options like Texas’ Matthew Golden, Missouri’s Luther Burden, and Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka could all be around, as they’re all considered to be fringe first-rounders.

Las Vegas has nine draft picks this year, so they should have plenty of other options throughout the three-day event. Meyers, 6-foot-2, is effective as a reliable possession receiver who excels at getting open in the slot, and Tucker, at 5-foot-9, is a more dynamic speedster with some deep ball potential.

With that in mind, the team could opt to add a big-bodied red-zone target. Players like TCU’s Savion Williams (just under 6-foot-4), Tennessee’s Dont’e Thornton (6-foot-4.5), or Arkansas’ Isaac TeSlaa (6-foot-3.5) could all be sizeable options as Day 3 picks. More versatile, mid-size options could be another area to look at for the Raiders. Prospects like TCU’s Jack Bech and Stanford’s Elic Ayomanor could be solid Day 2 options, while SEC pass catchers like Keandre Lambert-Smith (Auburn), Chimere Dike (Florida), and Arian Smith (Georgia) could be names to watch on Day 3.

However they choose to go about it, Las Vegas has plenty of options on the table for addressing their receiving corps. Whether they choose to bring in a big-name veteran and take a later flyer in the draft or sign a solid role-player and go after one of the draft’s better receiving prospects, there’s no shortage of possible combinations that we could see in silver and black next year.

Chargers Open To Keenan Allen Reunion

April 3rd, 2025 at 4:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

While Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams, Stefon Diggs and DeAndre Hopkins are off the market, three accomplished 30-somethings remain available at wide receiver. Amari Cooper, Tyler Lockett and Keenan Allen are still unattached. Allen looks to be in play for a reunion, despite a 2024 Chargers divorce.

Jim Harbaugh said (via The Athletic’s Daniel Popper) at the league meetings the Chargers and Allen renewing their partnership “would be cool,” labeling another agreement as possible. Even after reuniting with Mike Williams, the Chargers look to have a need at receiver alongside new No. 1 target Ladd McConkey.

Allen did not exactly leave Los Angeles on good terms, having been blindsided by the team’s pay-cut request — as the team attempted to reach cap compliance, in an effort that included Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack pay reductions — and then traded to the Bears for a fourth-round pick. But the 12-year veteran, who sits behind only Antonio Gates in Bolts history in receptions and receiving yards, was believed to be amenable to a Chargers return. Late last season, a report emerged tying Allen only to a return to Chicago, L.A. or retirement. No close connections between Allen and another team have surfaced, even though the Broncos were mentioned as a potential fit.

The Rams filled their WR need by replacing Kupp with Adams, and the Bears did not make a known effort to re-sign the 2024 trade pickup before he hit free agency. Allen is going into an age-33 season, winding down a quality career that has included six 1,000-yard seasons — including 1,243 in 2023. The crafty route runner is coming off a 744-yard year despite being on a team that trudged through a turbulent year on offense.

It is worth wondering if Allen would make sense on the current Bolts, as McConkey took over as a promising slot receiver. Allen has functioned inside and outside during his career, but Popper notes the Chargers would benefit more from an outside player who could create space for McConkey. Citing the team’s current WR makeup, Popper doubts the Chargers would pay Allen a deal beyond $10MM per year. Allen signed two Bolts extensions (in 2016 and 2020) respectively worth $11.3MM and $20MM per annum. After not parting on the best of terms, it would be interesting to see if the former Chargers WR1 would consider a return at a significantly reduced rate.

Though, Allen likely would not command much more elsewhere due to teams turning their attention to the draft by this point. Allen and Lockett are unlikely to fetch the guarantees Adams ($26MM), Kupp ($17.5MM) and Diggs ($16.6MM) did. Both should find homes, should Allen want to keep playing, and it is worth noting Harbaugh described Justin Herbert as elated Williams was returning. Herbert was at the controls for two Allen 1,000-yard seasons, and it would make sense the QB would want him back as well. But the Chargers signing off on two 30-something WRs might be too much to ask.

Broncos Were Only Interested In Cooper Kupp, Stefon Diggs At Reduced Rate; Team Still In Veteran WR Market?

March 30th, 2025 at 12:15pm CST by Rory Parks

Prior to his March release, the Broncos were reportedly uninterested in trading for former Rams receiver Cooper Kupp. Once Kupp became a free agent, though, there was said to be mutual interest in a Kupp-Denver relationship.

Nonetheless, Mike Klis of 9News.com hears the Broncos’ involvement in the Kupp sweepstakes was cursory at best, thanks largely to the receiver’s asking price. If the club could have landed the Super Bowl LVI MVP at a discounted rate, it might have done so. But once it became clear no discount would be forthcoming, Klis said Denver did not pursue Kupp (who ultimately signed a three-year, $45MM deal with the Seahawks).

The Broncos were never publicly connected to Stefon Diggs, whose reworked contract with the Texans expired at the end of the 2024 season. Klis says the club would have been interested in Diggs if he could have been had at a discount, but as was the case with Kupp, it soon became apparent the four-time Pro Bowler was not interested in a pillow contract. And he did not need to be, as he recently signed a three-year, $69MM accord with the Patriots.

To be clear, Klis is not suggesting Denver was motivated by frugality here. Head coach Sean Payton said back in February that he felt more highly of his cadre of wideouts than some league observers, and assuming that was not simply coach-speak, it stands to reason that the club would not overextend itself for 30-something WRs who are dealing with recent injury and production concerns.

The team was prioritizing a tight end upgrade, and it accomplished that goal by scooping up Jaguars cap casualty Evan Engram, who should provide a notable boost to the passing game. Plus, even though their Kupp and Diggs interest did not get past the preliminary stage, the fact that they made inquiries at all suggests to Klis that the Broncos – Payton’s comments notwithstanding – are still in the veteran receiver market. Which makes sense, given the lack of proven production on the team’s depth chart behind WR1 Courtland Sutton.

In Klis’ estimation, Keenan Allen and Elijah Moore are two of the most logical free agents for Denver to pursue, with Tyler Lockett representing another possibility. Adding a player like that would lessen the team’s urgency to select a wideout early in April’s draft while also providing a worthy complement to Sutton and breakout candidate Marvin Mims.

Bears Open To Letting Keenan Allen, Teven Jenkins Depart In Free Agency?

February 17th, 2025 at 8:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

Wideout Keenan Allen and guard Teven Jenkins headline the list of pending free agents for the Bears. A departure on the open market in both cases would not come as a surprise.

ESPN’s Courtney Cronin writes neither player is a suitable candidate for the franchise tag, which Chicago used last year on Jaylon Johnson before a four-year extension was worked out. Rather than making a fully-guaranteed commitment in the case of Allen or Jenkins, Cronin notes to no surprise a likelier outcome would see both of them depart in free agency. For the former, that would lead to increased speculation about a return to Los Angeles.

It was reported in January that Allen would only continue his career if he re-signed with the Bears or took a deal with the Chargers or Rams. The six-time Pro Bowler spent the first 11 years of his career with the Bolts, but the trade which sent him to the Windy City came after a restructure agreement could not be reached. Allen wanted to continue with the Chargers, and the potential for a reunion would make for an interesting storyline if no new Bears deal were to be signed.

Allen (who changed agents this summer) would welcome a Chicago contract, and with a 70-744-7 statline from 15 games in 2024 he could remain a starter on the team’s offense moving forward. The Bears already have D.J. Moore on the books, though, and 2024 No. 9 pick Rome Odunze will be counted on to handle a major role for the foreseeable future. Chicago could therefore look to devote cap resources elsewhere this spring.

The Bears are near the top of the list in terms of projected cap space for free agency, but upgrading along the offensive line represents an obvious priority. Jenkins has played a starting role for the unit when healthy over the past three years, seeing time at right guard in 2022 before splitting his time at both guard spots the following year. The 26-year-old worked exclusively at the LG position in 2024.

Drafted as a long-term tackle investment, Jenkins has drawn strong PFF evaluations since he moved inside. The Oklahoma State product approached Chicago about an extension, but to no avail. Injuries have been a consistent issue in his case, with 23 games being missed as a result of different ailments across his first four years in the league. That represents an understandable reason for pause on the Bears’ part as they consider their O-line options.

Aside from right tackle (thanks to 2023 first-rounder Darnell Wright), every starting spot up front is at least something of a question mark for Chicago at this point. Multiple additions to the unit over the coming months would not come as a surprise, and Trey Smith – the top interior blocker set to reach free agency – is a name to watch with former Chiefs staffer Ryan Poles in place as general manager. Making a lucrative move for a guard would signal a likelihood of Jenkins departing.

Quarterback Caleb Williams and new head coach Ben Johnson will face high expectations regarding the Bears’ offense for 2025. That will be the case regardless of if Allen or Jenkins are retained, but it will be interesting to see how the team proceeds on both fronts.

Keenan Allen Only Open To Playing In Chicago, Los Angeles In 2025

January 3rd, 2025 at 3:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Keenan Allen changed agents this offseason; his new representation will have an interesting task ahead. One of the biggest names on track for free agency at wide receiver, Allen does not sound interested in a true open market. Ahead of what would be his age-33 season, the decorated wideout is only open to landing in two cities.

Allen only wants to continue his career with the Bears or in Los Angeles, according to the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley. The perennial Pro Bowler joined the Bears in a contract year, and the team is set for a transition. It is interesting that Allen will keep the door open to a Chicago signing, as the GM who acquired him (Ryan Poles) will be back. Allen said early last month he wanted to re-sign with the Bears, but family reasons have kept the L.A. door open.

Clarifying Allen’s L.A. stance, Finley notes the 12-year veteran would be open to returning to the Chargers or joining the Rams. Allen’s family still lives in Southern California; they would relocate if he re-signed with the Bears. It would be interesting to see if another team could change the veteran’s mind, as sticking to this three-teams-or-bust route would significantly limit his options. As it stands, however, Allen is not preparing to be a true free agent — even though he has never been on the open market previously.

The Chargers and Allen experienced a memorable fallout, with the team attempting to reduce the wideout’s pay early during the Jim Harbaugh-Joe Hortiz run. An extension offer made would have led to a reduction on Allen’s $20MM-per-year deal; he is instead playing out the contract with the Bears. Prior to being traded, Allen had expressed hope of finishing his career with the Bolts.

Allen experienced steady success with Justin Herbert targeting him and trails only Antonio Gates in receiving yards with the now-L.A.-based franchise. The former San Diego draftee is one of the best players in team history, though based on what transpired this past offseason, expecting a big-ticket contract offer from the Bolts may be unrealistic.

The Cal alum made it clear he has not decided on playing a 13th NFL season. This Bears campaign has brought a step back, as the team has made major changes while breaking in a rookie quarterback. Allen has topped 100 yards just once this season, entering Week 18 with 719 during Caleb Williams‘ rookie year. The Bears had acquired Allen to help the No. 1 overall pick develop, but the team fired OC Shane Waldron weeks into his first season — as criticism from Allen and D.J. Moore surfaced — and has used pass-game coordinator-turned-OC-turned-interim HC Thomas Brown as its play-caller since. The Bears have not won a game since giving up a Hail Mary touchdown to the Commanders in Week 7.

Allen’s age already stood to limit his 2025 market, as a short-term deal would be likely — in the event the six-time Pro Bowler did not choose to retire. Tee Higgins is set to headline the 2025 WR class — if the Bengals do not reapply the franchise tag — while the likes of Chris Godwin, Marquise Brown, Stefon Diggs, Amari Cooper, Diontae Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins and Brandin Cooks in a mostly veteran-heavy crop that also includes ex-Allen sidekick Mike Williams, who has not made much of an impact in his first post-Chargers season.

The Bears gave Moore a long-term deal this summer and used a top-10 pick on Rome Odunze, likely limiting where they would go for Allen. The Chargers have centered their receiving corps around second-round sensation Ladd McConkey, who became the first Chargers wideout since Allen to post 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie. Harbaugh’s team needs help here, however, especially with Josh Palmer headed to free agency.

It is unclear how interested the Rams would be, having passed on a Cooper Kupp trade and seeing Puka Nacua become one of the NFL’s best pass catchers. Sean McVay‘s team eyeing Allen as a complementary piece would be something to monitor, Allen Robinson‘s Chicago-to-L.A. faceplant notwithstanding, especially if the quality route runner sticks to his California-or-Illinois plan.

Sitting 18th on the all-time receptions list (971) and 41st in yards (11,249), Allen probably needs to submit more to build a viable Hall of Fame case. It will be interesting to see if he passes on potential offers from non-Chicago or Los Angeles-based teams to ensure he continues his career on his terms.

Keenan Allen Wants To Remain With Bears

December 6th, 2024 at 9:52am CST by Adam La Rose

Keenan Allen‘s Chargers tenure came to an end this offseason when he was traded to the Bears. The veteran wideout said in June he would be open to a long-term Chicago contract, and that sentiment has not changed.

The 2024 campaign has not gone according to plan for the Bears, but recent weeks have showcased the team’s potential on offense with Caleb Williams at quarterback. Allen has played a central role in the Bears’ passing attack over the past three weeks, racking up 18 catches, 200 yards and three touchdowns during that span. The six-time Pro Bowler is a pending free agent, and continuing that production down the stretch would help his market value.

As The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain writes, though, Allen has expressed a desire to remain in Chicago beyond the current season (subscription required). The Bears sit at 4-8 on the season, and both offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and head coach Matt Eberflus have been dismissed. Allen and fellow wideout D.J. Moore were among the players who spoke out against Waldron after he was let go, and the offense has improved under Thomas Brown. Brown is now in place as interim head coach, but he will retain play-calling duties down the stretch.

Allen changed agents this offseason after his inability to land a new Chargers deal played a central role in the trade which sent him to the Windy City. The six-time Pro Bowler is on track to reach a free agent market expected to be headlined at the WR position by Tee Higgins, and at the age of 32 Allen does not figure to receive much interest in a long-term accord from any suitor. The Bears also have Moore on the books through 2029 along with first-round rookie Rome Odunze as a projected staple on offense for the foreseeable future.

In spite of that, Allen’s status as a veteran presence on an otherwise young Bears offense carries weight. If he manages to remain productive over the closing weeks of the campaign, the team (set to be near the top of the league in 2025 cap space) could entertain talks on a new deal. From Allen’s perspective, at least, that would be a desirable outcome.

D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen Address Shane Waldron’s Bears Dismissal

November 14th, 2024 at 3:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

Matt Eberflus has now fired two offensive coordinators this year. The OC he canned in January (Luke Getsy) is already out as the Raiders’ play-caller, a move that came shortly before the Bears booted Shane Waldron.

It seems doubtful Eberflus would be allowed to hire a third OC, as the third-year HC’s job is almost definitely on the line. It may come down to interim play-caller Thomas Brown‘s performance, with a Caleb Williams second-half resurgence perhaps the only lifeline Eberflus has left. The Bears have not seen Williams progress since showing flashes earlier this season, and the No. 1 overall pick has not clicked with the team’s two veteran wide receiver starters.

D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen have combined for 10 1,000-yard seasons in their careers; neither player is at 400 after nine games this year. Moore leads the Bears with 398 receiving yards, dropping from 80.2 per game with Getsy and Justin Fields at the controls to 44.2 in the Waldron-Williams setup. Allen, who averaged a career-best 95.6 yards per game in his final Chargers season, is at just 34.4 through seven Bears contests. The older of the two accomplished Chicago vets deemed Waldron “too nice” to succeed this season.

“Too nice of a guy,” Allen said (via ESPN.com’s Kalyn Kahler) of Waldron. “OTAs, camp, we fell into a trap of letting things go and not holding people accountable, and that’s a slippery slope. Just professionalism and doing things the right way from the beginning.”

Allen and Moore have both worked with several OCs during their careers, respectively thriving in most of those systems. The Panthers trotted out a different primary QB1 in each of Moore’s five seasons with the team; he still posted three 1,100-yard seasons with Carolina. Allen enjoyed much better quarterback play, through Philip Rivers and Justin Herbert. Williams sits 29th in QBR, and Allen — who could certainly have used his Bears stay as a potential springboard to a viable Hall of Fame case — has seen his production nosedive.

Moore confirmed players shared frustrations about the offense but covered his bases by indicating he did not want to see Waldron fired. Though, the second-year Bears wideout publicly addressed some of the issues during Waldron’s brief stay.

“When we wanted a call, it was like a drive too late,” Moore said, via WGN Radio’s Kevin Wells. “Or when we wanted to make adjustments and we waited ’til halftime to make it. And then we don’t get the same look.”

Waldron, 45, received immediate interest once the Seahawks let Pete Carroll‘s contracted assistants search for other jobs this offseason; these comments will certainly factor into Waldron’s 2025 job search. Waldron interviewed with the Patriots and Saints before signing on with the Bears. The Bears’ wide-ranging interview process included coaches who became coordinators elsewhere. Liam Coen (Buccaneers), Kliff Kingsbury (Commanders), Klint Kubiak (Saints), Zac Robinson (Falcons), Greg Roman (Chargers) met about the job. The Chargers blocked Kellen Moore from a meeting about the job; Moore ended up as the Eagles’ OC once the Bolts eventually let him out of his contract.

Kingsbury held intel on Williams, being USC’s QBs coach last season, but SI.com’s Albert Breer indicates that interview felt more like Bears brass gathering information on their next quarterback than interviewing Kingsbury for the gig. The Raiders offered Kingsbury their OC job, but it went to Getsy after the former Cardinals HC backed out due to the AFC West team not guaranteeing a third-year salary. The Commanders quickly swooped in.

Waldron, however, was hired January 22 — before any of the above-referenced 2024 OCs landed jobs. Chicago striking first with Waldron and then firing him nine games in obviously presents a bad look for Eberflus, who evaded a firing last year but dismissed Getsy and a few offensive staffers in preparation for Williams’ arrival. Counting Brown, the Bears have employed seven OCs since 2015. It looks more likely than not the Bears, who do not fire HCs in-season, will be conducting a head coaching search come January.

Texans Approached Bills About Stefon Diggs At Combine; Other Teams Inquired About WR

October 7th, 2024 at 9:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Josh Allen faced the Texans without his most reliable receiver, as Khalil Shakir was down due to an ankle injury sustained in Baltimore. This helped lead to a woeful performance, accuracy-wise, from the Bills‘ franchise quarterback.

Buffalo’s superstar quarterback went 9-for-30 for just 131 yards in the loss to Houston. The player who previously held the role of Allen’s top weapon, Stefon Diggs, contributed to the Texans’ win. Diggs’ six-catch, 82-yard day helped Houston withstand a Buffalo rally, and he still counts $31.1MM toward on his former team’s cap sheet this year. The Diggs trade brought a wide receiver-record dead money number, one that trails only Russell Wilson‘s Broncos albatross this year. The Bills moved on anyway, with a Texans offer changing their plan at wide receiver.

The Bills moved on in early April, but Nick Caserio began this process by approaching Brandon Beane about Diggs’ availability at the Combine a month earlier, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini notes. The eighth-year Bills GM did not shut down the Texans, though he did not sound overly interested at that point, either. While the Bills did end up moving Diggs to Houston — for a 2025 second-round pick in a trade that also sent 2024 and 2025 fifth-rounders to the Texans — Russini adds other teams inquired about the receiver’s availability this offseason.

By the time the Texans finalized the trade (April 3), it was unclear who they were negotiating against — as several teams had made their WR moves in March or were planning to do so in the draft. Diggs dialogue had persisted for a bit, however. Both Russini and ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler indicate teams had asked the Bills about Diggs before last season.

As Buffalo constructed a run-heavier approach in OC Joe Brady‘s first weeks on the job in an interim capacity, the Bills began to view their offense as less Diggs-reliant, a team source told Fowler. As the Bills leaned on James Cook more than they had during the season’s first half, Diggs’ role lessened. Diggs also dropped a well-placed deep pass that could have changed the outcome of the Bills’ divisional-round matchup with the Chiefs. Although Beane called Diggs “a No. 1 receiver” at season’s end, the team moved on around players who do not yet fit that description.

The Texans were in on Keenan Allen in mid-March, joining the Jets in pursuing the longtime Chargers standout. The Bears ended up acquiring Allen for a fourth-round pick, but Fowler adds the Texans were close to adding him. That effort falling through led Houston back to Diggs, who has 31 catches for 315 yards and three total touchdowns through five games.

Shakir’s 230 yards (through four contests) lead the Bills, and though second-round rookie Keon Coleman is progressing, Allen does not have a Diggs-level presence yet. Partially as a result, the Bills are among the teams in the Davante Adams mix. Though, the Jets and Saints may be bigger players in that market, with the Bills — despite holding two 2025 second-round picks — believed to view the Raiders’ price as too high.

Diggs and Allen remained cordial during the former’s second-half usage decline last season, per Fowler, but the team’s decision to part with wide receivers coach Chad Hall after the 2022 campaign affected its relationship with Diggs. The team’s previous No. 1 target was close with Hall, whose contract had expired; Hall left to be the Jaguars’ pass-game coordinator last year. Diggs also may have offered unsuccessful input about helping to repair the Bills’ offense late in the 2022 season, as Allen battled an elbow injury.

This may not be a widely supported account, though it backs up one report from 2023. Diggs had later denied he tried to influence Bills play-calling. But this timeline also involved an animated sideline scene during the Bengals’ 27-10 divisional-round win and Sean McDermott later indicating — at the following minicamp, which featured an abrupt Diggs exit — he was “very concerned” with the wide receiver’s situation.

While the Bills moved past that June blip and Diggs played out the 2023 season, more cryptic tweets — which reminded of his 2020 Vikings exit to the point some with the NFC North franchise saw a similar pattern play out — emerged in the wake of Buffalo’s 11-6 campaign. Diggs did not request a Bills trade, nor were the Bills shopping him. But he made a comment to GQ this offseason pointing to a desire to leave.

The Bills gave Diggs’ camp permission to speak with the Texans before the trade happened. This helps explain why Houston made the strange decision to remove the final three years from the 30-year-old wideout’s contract, making him a 2025 free agent. This looks to have been a central part of the Texans’ negotiations with Diggs’ camp, pointing to the receiver angling for such terms, as it would be otherwise unusual for a team to give up three years of player control at what was a team-friendly rate; Diggs left Buffalo with four seasons left on his four-year, $96MM extension.

The Texans will have a Diggs decision to make in the near future, as he is playing out a contract year for the first time, while the Bills may need to shop for a veteran receiver before the November 5 deadline. If the Adams sweepstakes ends with the All-Pro not Buffalo-bound, it will be interesting to see if the AFC East powerhouse tries to add a piece at a lower cost.

Injury Notes: Bears, Walker, Murray, Bosa

September 11th, 2024 at 9:17pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bears got good news surrounding the knee injury that knocked Rome Odunze out of Sunday’s season opener. Per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, the rookie wide receiver suffered a Grade 1 knee sprain, the “best-case scenario” for the team and player.

Odunze suffered his MCL injury while blocking for Velus Jones Jr. during a fourth-quarter screen pass. The rookie stayed in the game for one additional play before exiting for good. The wideout is officially considered week-to-week, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and there’s been no indication that the ninth-overall pick will have a stay on injured reserve. Coach Matt Eberflus said the Bears were “lucky” to avoid a serious injury, and he even kept the door open to Odunze playing in Week 2.

Wednesday’s injury report also showed that fellow receiver Keenan Allen didn’t practice while nursing a heel injury. Eberflus later clarified that the wideout was considered day-to-day, and there’s hope the offseason acquisition can hit the practice field on Thursday and Friday following his day off.

In the unlikely event that both Odunze and Allen are sidelined, the Bears’ deep wide receiver grouping will be down to just D.J. Moore. Rookie QB Caleb Williams is certainly hoping for his full arsenal of wideouts following an NFL debut where he completed only 14 of 29 pass attempts for 93 yards.

More injury notes from around the NFL…

Kenneth Walker left Sunday’s game with an oblique injury and didn’t practice on Wednesday, per the Seahawks‘ injury report. Mike Macdonald said the running back is day-to-day (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson), but another missed practice would obviously put the player’s Week 2 availability in doubt. Walker exited the season opener after compiling 103 rushing yards and one touchdown. Zach Charbonnet finished the game at running back, scoring a 30-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Kyler Murray was a full participant at today’s practice, but the Cardinals QB still showed up on the injury report with a knee injury. Murray, of course, suffered an ACL injury during the 2022 campaign, and 2024 represented his first healthy offseason in a few years. Murray didn’t miss a snap on Sunday, and it seemed like his knee was in good shape after he ran for 57 yards. Clayton Tune is the only other QB currently on the active roster.
The Chargers announced that Joey Bosa was a limited participant at Wednesday’s practice while dealing with a back injury. The pass rusher appeared in 60 percent of his team’s defensive snaps in Week 1, collecting a sack and a forced fumble along the way. The long-time Charger has been snake bitten by injuries over the past few years, missing 20 total games.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport passes along a list of other notable players who didn’t practice on Wednesday, including Bengals receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring), Chiefs receiver Marquise Brown (shoulder), Browns tight end David Njoku (ankle), Packers quarterback Jordan Love (MCL), and Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (hip/hamstring).

Bears WR Keenan Allen Making Change In Representation

June 12th, 2024 at 10:05pm CST by Ely Allen

New Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen is going to be playing for a team not named the “Chargers” for the first time in his eleven-year NFL career. Allen was shipped to Chicago back in March in exchange for a fourth-round pick that Los Angeles used to trade up and select Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey in the second round. Because Allen was a trade asset, the Bears are now faced with contract concerns in their new weapon’s future.

Allen arrives in Chicago with only one year remaining on his previous four-year, $80.1MM deal. Because of that, Allen is either heading for free agency for the first time in his career or finding a way to extend his contract with the Bears. Either way, Allen is preparing for the future, hiring new agents in anticipation of the contract situations ahead, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

After playing out three years of his rookie deal out of Cal, Allen signed a four-year, $45MM extension, avoiding free agency. Before that deal could expire, the Chargers extended him again on his most recent four-year deal. If he fails to extend his contract in Chicago, he will hit NFL free agency for the first time. He has a lot that he can prove in a potential contract year. At 32 years old, Allen will try to put up career numbers for the second year in a row but will do so this time with a rookie quarterback. He’ll also be competing for targets with D.J. Moore, who showed how dominant he could be as Chicago’s WR1 last year.

The other option sees Allen enjoying a multi-year stay with the Bears. Allen may utilize his new representation to avoid free agency once again and sign an extension to stay in Chicago. This is a route that Allen has claimed to be open to with the Bears but one that he failed to see through this past year with the Chargers, who reportedly offered him another extension to stay in Los Angeles.

Perhaps the change in representation marks a change in contract year strategies for the veteran pass catcher. Maybe instead of continuing to extend his contracts before they expire, Allen has the intention of finally testing the free agent market and hired new agents to handle the situation. Only the future will tell.

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