The preseason excitement around the Chicago Bears offense has proven through nine games to be little more than hype, as the unit has crumbled across a three-game losing streak.
Chicago has gone 23 consecutive possessions without finding the end zone heading into its Week 11 matchup with the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. While an underperforming and over-injured offensive line’s failures to protect rookie quarterback Caleb Williams combine to create the unit’s single greatest concern, the array of skill-position players that was supposed to rival the top groupings in the NFL has also fallen flat.
However, given the circumstances, stars like Keenan Allen project fairly well to return to excellence if and/or when they are again part of a competent offense. Allen, 32 years old with a recent history of injury problems, isn’t likely to return to Chicago in 2025 absent a significant contract extension that the Bears have minimal reason to offer after the wide receiver’s injury and production issues this season.
Allen is likely to bolt for a new opportunity come March as a result, and Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report predicted on Saturday, November 16, that he will do so to a resurgence of success.
“Like fellow receiver DJ Moore, Allen has seen his numbers nosedive. With better coaching, a more cohesive offense and a more efficient quarterback, however, he might return to the production he frequently had with the Los Angeles Chargers,” Knox wrote. “Allen should be interested in following [Saquon] Barkley to Philadelphia. The Eagles have been desperate for a third receiver to partner with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and his inside-outside versatility would make him perfect for the role.”
New Deal for Keenan Allen Doesn’t Make Financial Sense for Bears
GettyWide receiver Keenan Allen of Chicago Bears.
Allen might be able to regain his Pro-Bowl form in Chicago next season, though the financials simply don’t add up.
Moore just signed a nine-figure extension, while the team used the No. 9 overall pick to draft fellow wideout Rome Odunze in April. Allen is playing in the final year of an $80 million contract and entering his mid-30s. Meanwhile, wide receivers across the NFL are cleaning up and the need for elite-level talent at the position has never been greater.
Chicago’s offensive line is a nightmare outside of guard Teven Jenkins, who continues to battle injury issues of his own year to year and will become a free agent next spring if the franchise doesn’t extend him before then.
The Bears have a ton of salary cap space in 2025 (almost $82 million currently), but need to spend that money fortifying the offensive front and adding more edge-rushing talent to improve their ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks by traditional means. As such, a big deal for Allen seems neither necessary nor likely in the cards.
Bears Coaching Staff in Flux, Major Turnover May Be Coming
Chicago’s coaching issues may also be a non-factor in 2025, though that likely won’t matter where Allen is concerned.
Head coach Matt Eberflus already dumped offensive coordinator Shane Waldron following last week’s 19-3 home loss at the hands of the New England Patriots. Waldron is the second OC that Eberflus has fired this calendar year after releasing Luke Getsy in January.
But Bears fans have also put Eberflus under fire. And at 4-5 with the toughest schedule in the league down the stretch, Chicago could be looking for an entirely new staff come next spring.
