Traded Allen signals change for the Chargers 

Statistically, Keenan Allen has been the best pass catcher the Los Angeles Chargers have ever had. And there have been some good ones over the years. John Jefferson. Charlie Joiner. Kellen Winslow and Antonio Gates to name a few. 

Several days into the 2024 NFL’s free agency period, the Chargers said bye to Allen, trading the veteran wide receiver to the Chicago Bears for a fourth-round draft pick. 

“What Keenan Allen has meant to the Chargers for more than a decade cannot adequately be expressed through mere words,” said Chargers President of Football Operations John Spanos. 

What Allen has meant to the Chargers since he was drafted by the team in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft is somewhat immeasurable. 

Without question, Allen was a fan favorite and just about the surest thing to catch the football that current Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and former signal-caller Philip Rivers ever had. 

Allen departs the organization as the franchise leader in the number of passes caught (904) and in receiving yards (10, 530). Allen is a six-time Pro Bowler and has six 1,000-yard seasons under his belt. In five of the seasons that he played for the Chargers, Allen caught 100 passes or more.  

In 2023, Allen caught more passes than he ever had for the Chargers, coming up with 108 receptions for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns. In layman’s terms, Allen was the bread and butter of the Chargers’ passing attack. 

However, with the Chargers taking on a new general manager and head coach in the offseason, change has come to the Southern California franchise. Allen’s departure means the Chargers have parted ways with both of their starting wide receivers. 

Early in free agency, the Chargers released Mike Williams. The team has also seen the exodus of running back Austin Ekeler, who took a two-year deal with the Washington Commanders via free agency.  

In one week of free agency, the Chargers have cut ties with three of their top offensive playmakers in Allen, Williams, and Ekeler. If it was not clear before that the Chargers are embarking on a new era, the team’s recent moves now dictate the direction the franchise is headed towards. That starts with new head coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz. 

It’s going to take some getting used to for Chargers fans not seeing No. 13 out on the field using his sure-handed mittens to come up clutch as he has always done throughout his career. 

Moving the chains was Allen’s specialty. Whenever the Chargers were in a bind, it was usually Allen who would come through with some spectacular catch to keep the ball in play for the Chargers.   

“Keenan’s impact lives in the hearts of our fans, in the communities which he has served and amongst the countless teammates who have formed a brotherhood with him,” Spanos said. “There will only be one Keenan Allen, and we cannot thank him enough for the contributions he has made to our organization both on and off the field.”  

Top Photo Caption: Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) caught a 7-yard touchdown throw from Philip Rivers in LA’s 19-10 win against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017. File Photo/Credit Mark Hammond for News4usonline