Chicago Bears’ wide receiver Keenan Allen has taken off since Thomas Brown took over calling the shots
There’s no mistaking the fact that Keenan Allen got off to a slower start this year than Chicago Bears fans were expecting. Even though he battled an injury that caused him to miss weeks two and three, Allen went scoreless in his first three games with the organization. His showing in London against the Jaguars where he scored twice on five catches for 41 yards is when he put himself on the map as a Chicago Bear for the first time.
After the win against Jacksonville, Allen did not find the end zone again until the overtime loss at home against Minnesota in week 12. That happened to be the second game of Thomas Brown’s play-calling stint with the Chicago Bears following the firing of Shane Waldron. Brown has been calling plays for six games, and Allen has posted some impressive numbers in that stretch. The veteran has 453 yards, 12.3 yards per catch, and five scores since the now interim head coach took over the offense.
Allen paced the team in receiving in Sunday’s loss to Detroit at home. The former Charger made nine grabs for 141 yards and found the endzone. The 141 yards marks the highest total Allen has posted in a game this season and is the first time he has gone over 100 yards in a Chicago Bears uniform. He also now has 26 targets in his last two games, and 28 targets in his battles against the Lions this season.
Keenan Allen’s future as a Chicago Bears should remain something fans hope for
Allen has been a target that Caleb Williams can rely on amongst the strong trio in the Chicago Bears locker room. His expiring contract forces the hand of management to make a decision this spring. While it is fantastic that Allen has seen an uptick in production over the last six games, it will make things much more difficult for Ryan Poles and Kevin Warren in contract negotiations.
This will go both ways for Allen. While he will be looking to get the best deal possible financially, he will also take the bigger picture into account. He has not won anything significant in his lengthy career thus far. If he believes in what the Chicago Bears are building, he might be willing to sacrifice a few bucks to keep himself in a promising situation moving forward.
The Chicago Bears have good cap space entering the offseason, so it’s not like they can’t afford to pay Allen’s salary to return. However, there are other needs and general depth spots on the roster that need to be filled along with Allen. If both sides can feel each other out, there is no reason why a reunion is out of the question. Allen has gone on the record and said how much he enjoys Chicago and he sees the vision of where this team is going despite the poor play this season.
Keenan Allen might need to take a pay cut if Ben Johnson comes to town
With the reports coming out of Ben Johnson having interest in the Chicago Bears head coaching vacancy, Allen will have to keep that into account when weighing his options. Obviously the positon will be filled long before the new league year starts, but if Johnson is the guy, free agents will want to come and be apart of this offense.
If another free agent weapon is willing to take less money than Allen to join the Chicago Bears, he might be out of luck. If the veteran plays his cards right, he could score a decent payday with a brand new offense that is ready to roll for 2025.
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