Chargers Still Asked Keenan Allen to Take Pay Cut Even After Going Under Cap

Alex Kirschenbaum | Mar 30, 2024

Dec 10, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) in action. / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen was recently shipped out from the team that drafted him, the Los Angeles Chargers, to the Chicago Bears, much to the apparent shock of Allen himself. He had submitted one of his best seasons yet, at the ripe old age of 31 (which, in football years, is indeed old).

Across just 13 games (he injured his heel late in the season), the 6'2" Cal product recorded 108 receptions and 1,243 receiving yards for the Bolts.

Now, new details have emerged about how things went south during the offseason for his relationship with team management. LA flipped their second-best wide receiver, Mike Williams, to save coin. The Chargers then asked top defenders Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack to make sacrifices and help the club dip beneath the salary cap, they complied. But that's when things got complicated, as Kris Rhim of ESPN details.

"When the Chargers approached Bosa and Mack with pay cuts, saving a combined $24 million, sources close to Allen said he believed he would not be asked to take a pay cut coming off a career-best year," Rhim writes. "The Chargers still asked for the pay cut after getting well below the cap, which was a source of confusion and frustration for Allen's camp, according to sources close to the negotiations."

Now, Allen will be starting fresh for the Chicago Bears, who acquired him in exchange for a fourth round draft. The team seems poised to wholly revamp its offense around (probably) USC Trojans Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams, the expected No. 1 pick in this year's draft. Allen will immediately become his top wideout target.