Bears pull off trade for six-time Pro Bowl receiver Kennan Allen |
Talk about a bombshell to get your juices flowing. With the Bears slowly going about their free-agent business, many fans were growing impatient with Ryan Poles' lack of aggressiveness in acquiring a WR. Sure, there are plenty of first-round WRs to be had in this year's draft, but none of them are proven, so a veteran WR would be pivotal for Justin Fields or Caleb Williams.
Poles had a plan, and it was a plan that he kept close to the vest before finally showing his hand late Thursday night. Not only did the Bears grab a veteran WR to play alongside DJ Moore next season, but they acquired arguably one of the most accomplished WRs over the past decade as the Bears and Chargers get together to send Keenan Allen to Chicago in exchange for a fourth-round pick. You read that right. The Bears are getting Allen for just a fourth-round pick as the Chargers continue unloading some aging contract players. If adding a top-flight WR was part of Poles' plan this offseason, I would say mission accomplished, as Allen is just the type of player this team needs. Despite his age (31) and going on 32, Allen has been about as productive as you can be over his 11-year career, earning six Pro Bowl appearances during that time. Over that span, Allen has dealt with some injuries on and off, but has still found a way to play in 139 games, Putting those numbers into comparison when it comes to the Bears, Allen would be the most accomplished WR in Bears history, and it wouldn't be close. Any time you can acquire a player with Allen's skill set, it has to be viewed as a home run, but to grab him for just a fourth-round pick could go down as the steal of the century if everything pans out. Allen has been a model of consistency since stepping foot on an NFL field and has logged at least 100 catches and 1000 yards in five of the last seven seasons, with the other two being cut short due to injuries. That included a phenomenal 2023 campaign where Allen was sixth in the NFL with 108 receptions while hauling in 1243 yards. To put that into perspective, he did that in just 13 games, so had he played in all 17, there was a good chance he would've had a career season. Speaking of career performances, Allen put together a career performance against the Minnesota Vikings in week three when he hauled in 21 receptions for 230 yards. In other words, Allen is not only a playmaker but a possession WR, which the Bears haven't had in years. Not only are the fans excited about the move, but so is Ryan Poles, who had this to say about his newly acquired asset. "We’re extremely excited to add Keenan to our team,” general manager Ryan Poles said in a statement. “His body of work speaks for itself, and we look forward to him elevating our offense.” If elevating the offense is the goal for the 2024 season, acquiring Allen and bringing in D'Andre Swift and fellow Charger Gerald Everett is a great start, as all three of them will be massive upgrades for this team. The question now becomes who will throw the passes this season, as both Fields and Williams remain legitimate options for Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldron. Catching passes won't be a problem for Allen, as he has played his entire career with Phillip Rivers or Justin Herbert. Chicago doesn't have a QB like either of them on their roster at the moment, but if everything checks out with Williams and the Bears do take him No. 1 overall, there is a chance that Williams could be in the top-five QB conversation within two years. It's no secret that with four more years on his contract, Moore will be the team's No. 1 option going forward, but without a capable playmaker across from him, teams could double-team him all season long. Allen will at least take the double team off of Moore, which will open things up for the entire offense. Allen isn't going to come cheap when you look at how much he is making this season, but with one year remaining on his contract, it is a risk the Bears can take. The offense and the team took a significant step forward today, and this move alone takes what was a less-than-appealing offseason and turns it into a winning one. New #Bears WR Keenan Allen was 6th in the NFL with 108 catches in 2023, and he did that in only 13 games. Fun fact: Keenan Allen has *more than twice* as many receiving yards in his career (10,530) as anyone in Bears history. "This is a very good morning for the @Bears ..."
This is a win-now move and a player who will demand heavy targets right away. Chicago now has one of the best WR tandems in the league.
- @PSchrags on Chicago's addition of WR Keenan Allen pic.twitter.com/Rs5HC9Fbti
