The Chicago Bears have committed a ton of resources to their wide receiver room in the offseason. Keenan Allen was acquired via a trade with the Chargers, DJ Moore was extended, and the No. 9 overall pick was used to select Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze to give Caleb Williams as much help as possible.
While Ryan Poles was heralded for giving Williams a collection of quality receivers, Allen might be the one move where the Bears are having a bit of buyer's remorse. Through the first month of the season, it's not hyperbolic to call the Allen acquisition a dud.
Allen has just seven catches for 48 yards and no touchdowns this season, having missed two games due to injury. The Bears are essentially blocked from making a move for another star wide receiver, which is tough coming on the heels of Davante Adams requesting a trade from the Raiders.
Amid reports the Raiders are going to take the best available offer rather than engineer a trade to the New York Jets, Adams' top destination, the Bears have to wonder if they could have made a very interesting offer to the Raiders if they didn't have Allen blocking them.
Bears out of Davante Adams trade market after Keenan Allen move
While Allen does have one year left on his contract, there's a non-zero chance that he is brought back for the 2025 season. Even if Allen is just a one-year marriage, the Bears won't have a ton of financial flexibility in the short-term future if they acquired Adams and his gigantic contract.
While Allen seemed like a reasonable gamble to take, especially when a rookie like Williams is playing, he is an older player with an injury history in the past. Allen was never a fast receiver on his best day, and age sapping even more of his speed could impact his separation in the future.
Adams, meanwhile, is still a high-end receiver who, at the very least, is a Top 10 receiver. While Adams may be eyeing a quarterback he knows like Aaron Rodgers or Derek Carr, the Raiders have also made it known that they will take the top price irrespective of his wishes. If the Bears were willing to pay up, Adams could have come to town.
Instead, the Bears have an expensive receiver who is clearly the third-best option on the team and has issues staying healthy. Unless he turns it around quick, this decision taking Chicago out of the Adams market could be one move Poles wishes he could take back.
