The Chicago Bears are long past the point of bringing back veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen for another season after drafting two new pass-catchers — and signing several others in free agency — earlier in the 2025 NFL offseason.
Based on the latest prediction, though, the six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver could still wind up fortifying another offense in the NFC when the dust settles on his free agency.
In a recent analysis of the post-draft free-agent market, Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano evaluated the top 10 unsigned NFL free agents and identified the “best team fit” for each one of them, matching Allen with the Atlanta Falcons at the top of his list.
Allen is one of the top receiving talents still available in free agency after playing out the final year of his contract and making $23.1 million in salary with the Bears in 2024. He has more than 11,000 career receiving yards and has caught seven touchdowns in each of his last two seasons, making him a potential safety-net option for the Falcons.
“In his final season with the [Los Angeles] Chargers, Allen registered 108 catches for 1,243 yards,” Manzano wrote. “And it’s not like he fell off the cliff last season [in Chicago], recording 70 catches for 744 yards and seven touchdowns. Allen, 33, could help Michael Penix Jr. and Drake London in Atlanta. Unless tight end Kyle Pitts suddenly becomes a consistent target, the Falcons have a thin pass-catching group.”
Keenan Allen Offered Quality Production for Bears in 2024
The Bears did not re-sign Allen to a new contract after his previous deal expired in early March, but he still provided quality production for their disjointed offense in 2024.
Allen proved fairly reliable for the Bears offense and rookie quarterback Caleb Williams despite an early-season heel injury that sidelined him for two games and slowed him in several more. While he had the lowest catch percentage (57.9%) of his 12-season career, he showed that he can still handle a significant target share (120) and make the most of his receptions, finishing second on the team in receiving yards and first in touchdowns.
Some of Allen’s production decline can be attributed to poor ball placement on the part of Williams, who experienced bumps in the road as a rookie in a dysfunctional system. According to Pro Football Focus, the veteran did have eight dropped passes, though.
Allen is no longer in his prime as an NFL receiver and, at times, looked a step slower during the 2024 season, but he can still add value as a complementary pass-catcher. In Atlanta, his skill set could gel nicely with London and Darnell Mooney, another former Bear, while adding a safety value for Penix on his maiden voyage as a full-time starter.
Kyle Pitts Trade Talks Could Motivate Keenan Allen Signing
The Falcons would have still looked good on paper as a potential landing spot for Allen a week ago, but the latest news about Pitts and the interest he is reportedly generating on the NFL trade market only further underscores their need for more pass-catchers.
According to Fox Sports insider Jordan Schultz, “multiple teams have reached out” to the Falcons in recent weeks to assess whether Pitts is available via trade. Schultz added that: “Nothing is imminent, and Atlanta would prefer to keep him — but I’m told it would take at least a Day 2 pick to even spark serious talks.”
The Falcons may not receive a trade offer in the Day 2 range for Pitts, who finished with career-lows in receptions (47) and receiving yards (602), excluding his injury-shortened season in 2022. But if a motivated team feels it can unlock Pitts’ untapped potential and that a change of scenery would do him good, then a third-round offer isn’t outlandish.
If Atlanta does trade away Pitts, the front office will likely need to find at least one other reliable pass-catcher to add to its offense at either wide receiver or tight end, and they might not find a better option in free agency than Allen if he still unsigned at that point.
