The Chicago Bears have the building blocks of a great team, the offensive line not withstanding, but some of those pieces could be headed elsewhere after the end of this season.
At the top of that list is wide receiver Keenan Allen, who is playing in the final year of his $80.1 million contract and doesn’t have any prospects to speak of when it comes to an extension in Chicago.
Allen, 32, has come on as the campaign has progressed after a slow start owed to some combination of injury issues (heel), a rookie quarterback in Caleb Williams finding his footing and a coaching staff/offensive scheme that has seen its architect (former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron) and his boss (former head coach Matt Eberflus) each lose their positions mid-season.
The six-time Pro Bowl wideout has caught 44 passes for 441 yards and 5 TDs through 10 games played this year (having missed two). And while those numbers are solid, they are a far cry from the production Allen has offered in any relatively healthy season he’s had since 2017.
Chicago has two other highly skilled pass-catchers in the receiver room in DJ Moore and rookie Rome Odunze, both of whom are under contract for several years, and multiple glaring needs across the offensive line. As such, a big deal for an aging Allen who has a recent history of injury problems likely isn’t in the cards.
Keenan Allen Unlikely to Return to Bears if He Finds Multiyear Offer
GettyChicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen.
However, that doesn’t mean he has lost all his value as an imminent free agent in spring 2025, and Bleacher Report’s Scouting Department connected Allen to the Denver Broncos (8-5) as a potential prospect on Monday, December 2.
“Keenan Allen is getting into the end of his career,” B/R wrote. “The Broncos would benefit from signing someone like the 32-year-old on a one-year deal.”
Allen is certainly going to be searching for a multiyear contract and should be able to find one, whether it comes from the Broncos or another franchise. If one-year contract offers are all teams send Allen’s way, then the chance remains that he might return to Chicago if he likes the direction the team is heading come March.
Keenan Allen’s Value May Price Bears Out This Offseason
That said, Allen is a sure-handed playmaker and savvy route runner that an up and coming QB like Bo Nix in Denver could benefit from greatly (the same logic the Bears front office had when bringing him in to help Williams this season), which means Allen is likely to end up with a team other than Chicago that will make the addition of a starting receiver a greater financial priority in the coming offseason.
Spotrac projects Allen’s market value at $16.6 million annually over a new two-year deal (more than $33 million in total). The website projects Chicago to have north of $81 million in salary cap space in 2025.
However, the Bears will most likely aggressively pursue options to fortify the offensive line both in free agency and the draft, making a nearly $17 million annual commitment to Allen a luxury to forego.
