Chicago Bears can’t afford to lose Keenan Allen — here’s why

In this story:
- D.J. Moore: Good at catching footballs.
- Rome Odunze: Will be good at catching footballs.
- Olamide Zaccheaus: Can be good at catching footballs.
- The rest of the Chicago Bears wide receivers room: Meh at catching footballs.
But you know who’s really good at catching footballs?
Future Hall of Famer and (hopefully) future Chicago Bear, Keenan Allen.
Keenan Allen’s 2024 Was Better Than You Thought
Last season—despite dealing with a rookie quarterback, a wishy-washy head coach, and a pair of garbage offensive coordinators—Keenan Allen was sneaky-good, hauling in seven touchdowns (tied for the second-most in his career) and racking up five-plus catches in seven of his 15 games.
In a Week 15 rumble with the Detroit Lions, he put together one of the finest games of his career, a nine-catch, 141-yard, one-touchdown gem that simultaneously turned back the clock and gave Bears Nation hope for the future.
Keenan Allen’s Chicago Bears tenure started slow but finished strong.
— Did the Bears take the North today? (@BearsNFCChamps) April 6, 2025
First 7 Games:
•26 Receptions
•241 Yards
•2 TDs
Final 8 Games:
•44 Receptions
•503 Yards
•5 TDs
Gained chemistry with Caleb late in the season. He should absolutely be resigned at the right price. pic.twitter.com/xczlm1w8Uq
So he’s still got it. But the Chicago Bears brass apparently isn’t convinced.
Allen Needs a Home
Allen—who inked a one-year deal with Chicago last spring—is still on the street…and that’s odd, because, well, future Hall of Famer.
- Maybe his financial expectations are too high, with Spotrac pegging his current market value at $11.1 million.
- Maybe there aren’t any NFL GMs who want to offer a long-ish-term deal to a soon-to-be-33-year-old who hasn't played a full season since 2021.
- Or maybe the league thinks he’s lost his mojo, as between 2023 and 2024, his yardage total dropped from 1,243 to 744.
Whatever the reason, he’s still looking for a gig. And Chicago’s wide receiver room has holes.
So the Bears need to get The Bearded One back into Halas Hall.
3 Reasons Why Allen Should Be In a Bears Uniform In 2025
1) He’s One Of the Nastiest Route Runners In NFL History
Bears head coach Ben Johnson seems to be a stickler for exactitude, and when watching Allen go through his route trees, you can tell the ex-Charger offers just that.
Keenan Allen with a nasty route pic.twitter.com/fAivHojI92
— Dave (@dave_bfr) November 28, 2024
2) He’s a Needed Veteran Presence.
The Bears' three starting wide receivers have an average age of 25.3, while the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles’ top-three WRs average out to 26.0...and that 2/3rds of a year makes a difference.
So let’s get some experience in the locker room, shall we?
3) Caleb Williams Digs Him
Last season, Allen was Williams’ security blanket, arguably more so than ostensible WR1, D.J. Moore.
Caleb Williams DART to Keenan Allen for the 45-yard TD
— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2024
📺: #DETvsCHI on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/PdKvpgQ5d4
And then there’s the fact that despite their near-decade difference in age, the two of them just like one another.
Caleb Williams was at an event with Keenan Allen (I believe a St. Brown event).
— Harrison Graham (@HGrahamNFL) April 3, 2025
Do you still want Keenan back in Chicago? pic.twitter.com/twic1iWgJm
A Tweet is worth 1,000 words—and hopefully Bears GM Ryan Poles will take those 1,000 words to heart and get Keenan Allen back in the building.
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Alan Goldsher has written about sports for Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Apple, Playboy, NFL.com, and NBA.com, and he’s the creator of the Chicago Sports Stuff Substack. He’s the bestselling author of 15 books, and the founder/CEO of Gold Note Records. Alan lives in Chicago, where he writes, makes music, and consumes and creates way too much Bears content. You can visit him at http://www.AlanGoldsher.com and http://x.com/AlanGoldsher.
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