Bear Digest

Re-signing Keenan Allen likely to cost more than Chicago Bears will want to pay

Keenan Allen's next contract won't cost as much as his last deal, but it's still likely to be a higher number than the Chicago Bears will want to pay for the No. 3 wide receiver in Ben Johnson's offense.
Lorin Cox|
Nov 3, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.
Nov 3, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Less than a year ago, Ryan Poles gave up a fourth-round pick to acquire Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers.

Now, the Chicago Bears may not want to pay what it will cost to bring the veteran receiver back.

Allen's contract is set to expire at the start of the new league year in March after costing Chicago $23.1 million against their salary cap this season.

He was supposed to give the Bears offense a dynamic wide receiver duo with D.J. Moore that would become a trio with drafting of Rome Odunze.

Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen celebrates with wide receiver Rome Odunze after catching a touchdown pass
Nov 28, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) celebrates with wide receiver Rome Odunze after catching a touchdown pass against the Detroit Lions in the third quarter at Ford Field. | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The three receivers talked about each racing to hit 1,000 yards this season. None of them ended up clearing that threshold.

Allen's 744 receiving yards in 2024 was the lowest mark he's had in the last eight years, and he's about to turn 33 years old in April.

His next contract will almost certainly cost less than his last deal, but it could still be more than the Bears want to pay.

Allen's market will likely be similar to other older wide receivers in the NFL who are still productive but not as dominant as they were when they were younger.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett will also be 33 this season, and he's coming off of back-to-back seasons under 1,000 yards. He restructured his contract last offseason to what became a two-year, $29.6 million deal.

DeAndre Hopkins, now with the Kansas City Chiefs, is the same age and is coming off of a two-year, $26 million contract he originally signed with the Tennessee Titans.

Allen's next contract could come in around that $13-15 million range like other receivers his age. Do the Bears want to pay that much for a player who will third on the depth chart behind Moore and Odunze?

That price tag would be the team's fifth most expensive contract for 2025.

Ben Johnson's Detroit Lions offenses haven't needed a top-notch No. 3 wide receivers. For his first few seasons as OC, the only dynamic WR he had was Amon Ra St. Brown.

The Lions later added Jameson Williams with a first-round pick, but Johnson's offenses never had a third wide receiver with more than 500 yards in a season.

Moore and Odunze should be plenty for Johnson and Caleb Williams to work with on the outside.

Poles can use the money he saves on Allen to invest more in the offensive line to help the offense reach its full potential in 2025.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the host of the Locked on Bears podcast and has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2016. He is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus and has written for NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today's Bears Wire. You can follow him on Twitter @CoxSports1.

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