Keenan Allen 'Absolutely' Open to New Bears Contract in 2025 NFL Free Agency

Amid a resurgence in his play since Thomas Brown took over as the team's offensive play-caller, Keenan Allen's future with the Chicago Bears looks more open than it did earlier in the season.

Speaking to reporters after Thursday's practice, Allen said he is "absolutely" open to staying with the Bears in 2025 when he becomes a free agent after this season.

The Bears acquired Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers last offseason. He is playing in the final season of his four-year, $80 million contract that was originally signed in September 2020.

Even though Allen had been hindered by injuries in each of the previous two seasons, he was still a very productive player in Los Angeles. He had 108 catches for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games during the 2023 campaign.

Chicago already had D.J. Moore in place at the time of the deal, so Allen didn't need to step in as the No. 1 option. The Bears added to their receiver room during the draft by using the No. 9 pick to select Rome Odunze.

All of these pass-catching options plus a defense that finished 2023 very strong led to some analysts believing that Caleb Williams was walking into one of the best situations ever for a No. 1 pick in the draft.

Those takes have proven to be overly optimistic about how good the overall talent was in Chicago, particularly the offensive line that has caused all sorts of problems. It didn't help that offensive coordinator Shane Waldron wasn't doing anything to give the rookie quarterback easy reads before the Bears fired Waldron on Nov. 12.

Allen was among the Bears players having a disappointing season with Waldron calling plays. He had 241 yards and two touchdowns in seven games before the change at offensive coordinator.

Since Brown took over play-calling duties, Allen has 200 yards in three games. His two best games by receiving yards have come in the past two weeks.

Given Allen's age—he will turn 33 on April 27—the Bears might look to add a younger option this offseason, but his recent performance is at least giving them a reason to believe he can be a solid contributor for this offense next year.