The Los Angeles Chargers had a lot of work to do to get under the cap, and it looked like they’d gotten their books in order after cutting wide receiver Mike Williams and restructuring the contracts of star pass rushers Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa.
However, the team wasn’t done, as it is reportedly trading perennial Pro Bowler Keenan Allen to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a fourth-round pick. The wide receiver was the team’s longest-tenured player after being selected in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
The Chargers offense will look drastically different to kick off the Jim Harbaugh era. They’ll not only be without Allen and Williams, but also lost Austin Ekeler and Gerald Everett to free agency. They signed Gus Edwards to replace Ekeler, but their wide receiving corps is currently headed by Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston.
Meanwhile, Allen is the latest splash the Bears have made over the past several days. He turns 32 in April, but has shown no signs of slowing down as he had a franchise-record 108 catches a year ago despite missing four games.
Expert Take
Well, this one was a stunner on a Thursday night. One day after the Chargers cut Mike Williams, the team has now traded away Keenan Allen to the Bears for a fourth-round pick. And just like that, the Chargers offense will look entirely different next season.
Let's start with the Bears side of this deal, where this is kind of a no-brainer.
Allen is an absolute superstar. He had a monster season despite missing four games to close the year, finishing with 108 catches for 1,243 yards and seven scores along with a memorable touchdown pass. That included four games with double-digit receptions, including an 11/175/2 game against the Lions and an absurd 18-catch, 215-yard day against the Vikings.
Suffice to say Allen is a go-to target, and he's about to get a lot more time against the Lions and Vikings in Chicago. Chicago goes from one of the worst receiving corps in the league one year ago to one of the best one-two tandems now in Allen and D.J. Moore, two sure-handed targets sure to make life easy on whoever takes the next snap for the Bears — cough, Caleb Williams, cough.
Add in a revitalized run game and an improving offensive line, and this offense is really set up for success for a young quarterback — a refreshing sight considering what Justin Fields never really had in his three years in Chicago.
For the Chargers, this is a stunner. Los Angeles was up against the cap and knew changes were coming, especially after a terribly disappointing season, but this is a full body makeover. Both Allen and Williams are gone, and don't forget Austin Ekeler is gone too, robbing this offense of by far its top three targets. Justin Herbert has often seen wild on-off swings when he has his two star wide receivers healthy versus even one missing. Now the wide receiver cupboard is bare, outside of young, unproven Quentin Johnston and Joshua Palmer.
This is a full reset. It's a bet by Jim Harbaugh on himself and on his ability to reshape Justin Herbert — and it's an admission by the Chargers, finally, that they are not ready to compete at the highest level. More and more in today's NFL, superstar quarterbacks making superstar money do not get superstar receivers too. There's only so much cap room to go around, after all.
Harbaugh has had a ton of success at every stop, but it sure looks like this is an admission that the team will take one big step back this fall before hoping to take several steps forward after. Several notable names are finally gone from the defense too, and don't be surprised if Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, or both still end up on the move next. This is the sort of move that tells you where a team is heading, and you don't dump a star receiver for just a measly fourth unless that path is very clear.
