Keenan Allen's one and only season with the Chicago Bears in 2024 was... fine. It was unremarkable. Nothing special. At least, it didn't live up to the expectations that come along with trading for a player who's long been considered one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.
Allen finished the 2024 season with 70 catches for 744 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games, a far cry from his 108 catches for 1,243 yards and seven scores in 2023. He managed just one 100-yard receiving game in a Bears uniform but did finish the season strong with five touchdowns over the final seven games.
Still, Allen's impact in Chicago was forgettable.
Now, as an unrestricted free agent still searching for a destination as the third wave begins, there's a chance Keenan Allen's lasting legacy with the Bears will be frustrating.
According to a recent breakdown of the best fits for the top remaining free agents, Allen was linked to the Las Vegas Raiders, whose need at wide receiver is glaring.
"The Las Vegas Raiders would also be a strong fit for Allen," Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox wrote. "Alongside Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers, Allen's inside-outside versatility would give offensive coordinator Chip Kelly more alignment options. He'd also serve as a dependable target for new quarterback Geno Smith."
This is bad news for the Bears' hopes to land Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Raiders pose the biggest threat to steal Jeanty away from Chicago. But if there's one position that could lure GM John Spytek away from the electrifying running back, it's wide receiver. And with Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan grading as a fringe-top-10 prospect, there's a chance the Raiders will have no choice but to spend their first-round pick on him.
That is, unless Keenan Allen swaps his Bears colors for the Silver and Black.
Signing Allen would have the same impact at wide receiver for Las Vegas as their trade for Geno Smith has had at quarterback. Sure, both are aging veterans who shouldn't deter the Raiders from taking a talented and younger option at either position, but their presence on the roster would allow Las Vegas to pivot to running back with more confidence.
Hopefully, Allen does the Chicago Bears a solid and signs elsewhere. But if he becomes a Raider, the odds Ashton Jeanty does go way up, too.
