Top Free Agent Landing Spots For WR Keenan Allen

After a 12-year career with the Chargers that cemented him as one of the best receivers in franchise history, Keenan Allen took his services to Chicago last season. He was brought in to provide a stable, veteran presence and reliable target for 2024 first-round QB Caleb Williams, but it didn’t go as planned. Allen totaled the fewest yards and second-fewest catches of his career, outside of a pair of injury-shortened seasons in 2015 and 2016.

Still, his time with the Bears wasn’t a total disaster. He had 70 receptions for 744 yards and seven touchdowns, with a PFF grade of 64.4. That PFF grade ranked 76th among all qualifying wide receivers, painting an accurate picture of the role Allen projects to at this point in his career: a high-floor WR3 that can be a complementary weapon in a team’s passing attack.

While a return to Los Angeles to reunite with the Chargers makes sense on paper, the team has indicated they’re content with the current depth chart. Second-year man Ladd McConkey pairs with second-round rookie Tre Harris and veteran Mike Williams to form the starting trio at wide receiver for the Chargers. If Allen is to play this year, it looks like it’ll need to be elsewhere.

Allen, 33, is a former third-round pick of the Chargers back in 2013. He was entering the final year of his five-year, $46.671 million contract that included $20 million guaranteed when the Chargers signed him to a four-year, $80 million extension. 

In March 2024, Allen was traded from the Chargers to the Bears for a 2024 fourth-round pick. He made a base salary of $18,100,000 for the 2024 season.

In 2024, Allen appeared in 15 games for the Bears and caught 70 passes on 121 targets for 744 yards receiving and seven touchdowns.

We have him included in our Top 100 Available NFL Free Agents list. 

Arizona Cardinals

The top of the Cardinals’ depth chart at receiver is set with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson. Harrison was the No. 4 overall pick in 2024 and while he didn’t quite live up to expectations as a rookie, he still had 885 yards and eight touchdowns last year and projects to be a top option for years to come. Wilson hasn’t fully lived up to his potential yet, but TE Trey McBride is the true second option in this passing attack, if not No. 1.

McBride led the Cardinals in both catches and yards a year ago, and he and Harrison should form the 1A and 1B duo that powers the offense. Greg Dortch is the starting slot receiver in Arizona, and Zay Jones is also on the roster. Allen would be an upgrade over Dortch and provide a high-floor possession receiver to the offense. Harrison, Wilson and McBride are all young players — McBride is the most experienced of the group as he enters his fourth season in the league. Allen’s impact off the field could be just as important as his production on it, as he might stabilize a young, growing unit.

Atlanta Falcons

Drake London is the top target in Atlanta, but who do the Falcons have behind him? Darnell Mooney is a good complementary piece, but he’s not a do-everything WR2. Falcons TE Kyle Pitts was supposed to be an alpha when he was drafted No. 4 overall in 2021, but after a promising rookie season, he regressed. Ray-Ray McCloud and KhaDarel Hodge provide some depth but aren’t receivers you want to be relying on weekly. Wide receiver depth isn’t a strength for the Falcons.

With QB Michael Penix Jr. entering his first full season as the starter, the Falcons should be doing everything they can to support him. Allen is one of the best receivers still available on the open market, and with London in the fold they don’t need a number one target anyway. Allen’s skill set as an underneath possession receiver would complement the current core well, and his dependability would be a big help to the young Atlanta quarterback. We’ve seen similar situations work out well, such as with Panthers WR Adam Thielen. It didn’t work for Allen with the Bears last year, but they had more problems than just him. It’s not the cleanest fit on paper, but the Falcons just need some reliable depth at this point.

New York Jets

It’s a reset for the Jets. New coaching staff, new quarterback, and new expectations. After years of thinking they were “one quarterback away” from a Super Bowl run, the organization is taking a small step back to fix the issue with their roster before diving back in to a contending window. Gone is Aaron Rodgers, replaced by Justin Fields under center, with Tyrod Taylor still on the roster in case the Fields experiment doesn’t work. There’s a chance the offense takes a step forward under a new staff.

The wide receiver depth chart is lacking, however. Garrett Wilson is the unquestioned top option, with three straight 1,000-yard seasons and seven touchdowns last year. It’s uninspiring around him, with Allen Lazard and Josh Reynolds the presumed starters next to him. Malachi Corley, a third-round pick in 2024, was practically unplayable last year. Though Arian Smith was a fourth-round pick just this year, he was arguably the most overdrafted player in the class and expectations should be kept to a minimum. Tyler Johnson is a decent fourth option, but Wilson really is the only exciting name on this depth chart.

Gone are the days of Allen being a needle-moving addition, but he’d at least be on par with the likes of Lazard and offers a skillset this offense currently lacks. Unless Corley steps forward into a major role, the Jets don’t have an every-down slot weapon. Allen would be that, and he can still pick apart defenses with his route-running and intelligence. New York just needs to generate some safe targets and easy yards for the offense, something they failed to do a year ago. Allen would be a good step towards solving that.

Other teams to watch: Los Angeles Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints