Keenan Allen wants to stay in Chicago beyond '24; is it the right move?

Keenan Allen wants to run it back with the Chicago Bears.

On Thursday at Halas Hall, the veteran wide receiver expressed his interest in staying in Chicago when asked about his experience this season and what he wants to get out of these final five games.

“You take it for what it is, honestly,” Allen said. “It’s a new start for me, a new position and a new place. After talking with DJ [Moore] today, he wants me to run it back. So, we’ll see.”

Allen, 32, also said he has not spoken with the Bears about the possibility of him staying after his contract ends this season. Now, the Bears need to ask themselves if they want Allen back.

Allen has played in 10 of the 13 games this season and has been dealing with injuries for most of the year. His heel injury started before the joint practices against the Cincinnati Bengals in mid-August. That pain later worsened and became plantar fasciitis, which started in Week 1 against the Titans. Fast-forward to after the overtime loss to the Vikings, and Allen said his foot “hurts some days” more than others. He also didn’t practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury that he sustained in the latest loss against the Lions, but was a full participant on Thursday.

Allen isn’t new to missing games. In his last season with the Chargers, he played 13 games, compared to only 10 the year before.

Outside of availability, the production is also in question. Through 10 games, Allen has 44 receptions for 441 yards and five touchdowns. He is tied with DJ Moore in touchdown receptions but will fall well short of the 108 catches for 1,243 yards he had in 2023. Allen still has a shot to tie or surpass his seven touchdowns from last season.

In the last three games with Thomas Brown calling the offensive plays, Allen has seen an uptick in his production — catching 18 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns. So, maybe Brown is what Allen needed to become consistent in this Bears offense finally.

“But I think watching the guy, the one-on-one matchups, how he moves, the nuance of route-running is obviously elite,” Brown said. “It’s been elite for a long time. But also it’s being able to understand how we could move guys around. You use formation variations, using motions to do a couple things, right? To marry things for us offensively, to give us access and also to give us coverage indicators. So using the illusion of complexity, formation variation, motions and shifts, to force communication from a defensive standpoint but also hiding where certain guys are. But he’s a big-time player. Been that way for a long time.”

Allen’s production throughout the years speaks for itself. He’s also been a huge asset to rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze, who has learned about the nuances of route running from Allen and Moore.

Wide receivers coach and interim offensive coordinator Chris Beatty spoke highly of Allen’s football knowledge and how he shares that with the rest of the wide receivers.

“Keenan could be a coach,” Beatty said. “Keenan is the smartest player I’ve ever seen. He’s the smartest football person, not just player. … He sees stuff different than the rest of us. He’s a play ahead, just like a coach would be. What he has done over the last three weeks since the initial change was he’s been my conduit for those guys. He runs the meeting in between while they’re doing the special teams. He gets all the offensive skill in there and does a meeting. He knows how I want it to look. Those guys have been joking that he’s saying my sayings, which I’m good with that. If he’s saying my stuff, then that means he respects what I’m doing. He’s taken a little bit bigger of a leadership role. He’s really not as outgoing as you guys think he is. But he’s been a little bit more.”

But Allen does take opportunities away from Odunze. This season, Odunze has played 688 offensive snaps compared to Allen’s 577. Both receivers can also play in the slot, and Allen has been featured more in that part of the field than the rookie, 295 snaps to 228, according to Pro Football Focus.

Odunze has also openly talked about his versatility and how he can be an asset for the offense from multiple positions. With Allen on the roster, that limits Odunze’s opportunities.

This can also be seen in play concepts. Moore, Allen, and Odunze are all talented receivers, and Brown has to construct ways to get them the ball. However, that could come at the expense of having Odunze as the later read in a play’s progression. It wouldn’t be surprising if Moore and Allen were consistently higher for Caleb Williams in his reads than Odunze.

Odunze was the No. 9 overall pick for a reason, and he should be allowed to become that type of player alongside Moore, who signed a 4-year, $110,000,000 contract in July. Allen, who is clearly towards the end of his career, will impact Odunze’s production to start his career.

The financials will also affect Allen’s future with the Bears and general manager Ryan Poles must consider that he will be 33 next April, but if an agreement is made for the 2025 season, Williams would be a key reason why that move could potentially happen.

“His potential is through the roof,” Allen said. “You see that through the weeks. He’s still having good games. His QBR is great. This turnover percentage is great. Just being about to do that, and learning the defenses and the offenses at the same time is tough in itself. I think the sky’s the limit for his talent.”

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