Fate can be quite unpredictable.
The Chicago Bears made a big move on March 14, when they traded a fourth-round pick to the Los Angeles Chargers for six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen. As per a team insider, the Bears were considering signing Allen’s former teammate, WR Mike Williams, before Allen became an option.
During a March 26 appearance on 670 The Score’s Bernstein & Holmes, Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune said that Allen’s sudden availability “was a surprise that popped up on the radar,” for the Bears before adding the following:
“The Bears were actually interested in Mike Williams out in L.A. and were ultimately trying to get some more information on his recovery from the injury late last year. Then, all of a sudden, you get … a curveball, where Keenan Allen becomes available.”
The Bears most likely hesitated in signing Mike Williams due to his recent ACL injury
Due to salary cap limitations, the Chargers released Williams on March 13. His three-year, $60 million contract was one of the team’s bigger contracts, and it was a major factor in his release.
Williams is younger than Allen (he’s 29, while Allen turns 32 in April), and at 6’4″ and 218 pounds, he’s slightly bigger than the 6’2″, 211-pound Allen.
But Bears general manager Ryan Poles was apparently worried about Williams’ recovery after the veteran wideout tore his ACL in Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings last season. Williams expects to be back by Week 1 of the 2024 season, but training camp is unlikely.
Shortly after Williams was released, talk of the Chargers making Allen available via trade began. That apparently caught Poles’ attention.
“(The Bears) were kind of operating down different avenues to bolster their receiving corps, and when the Chargers had to make some of the moves that they had to make, within hours, Ryan had to pivot and say: ‘OK, (trading for Allen) is the direction that we want to go and we have the ability to go get it done,'” Wiederer added.
Williams has since signed a deal with the New York Jets. He has two 1,000-yard seasons in his seven years in the league. His best year came in 2021, when he caught 76 passes for 1,146 yards (15.1 yards per catch) and nine touchdowns.
Will Bears Sign WR Keenan Allen to a Contract Extension?
When the Bears decided to switch to Allen, they also agreed to take on his $23.1 million cap hit. Chicago also has a major decision to make about signing Allen to an extension.
Allen is getting older, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the stat sheet. The veteran receiver is coming off one of the best seasons of his career after catching a career-high 108 passes for 1,243 yards (11.5 yards per catch) and seven touchdowns in 13 games.
After working for the Kansas City Chiefs in scouting and executive roles from 2009-2022, Poles has known what Allen is capable of for a while now, as the Chiefs and Chargers are both in the AFC West.
“Keenan Allen tortured the Chiefs” while Poles was in Kansas City, Wiederer noted, adding:
“(Allen’s) film from last year showed a player that hasn’t lost much, if anything even as he gets older and onward in his career.”
If things go well in the beginning, don’t be shocked if Poles decides to keep Allen for a few more seasons, if not for the rest of his career.
