Trading for Keenan Allen was a bold move for the Chicago Bears. The six-time Pro Bowler is an instant upgrade to their wide receiver room and could be a lethal partner to D.J. Moore. At the same time, he turns 32 years old this year and is entering the last season of his current contract. Giving up a 4th round pick for a one-year rental doesn’t sound like smart business for a team that is still in the rebuilding phase. That led many to wonder if GM Ryan Poles might have eventual plans to give Allen a minor extension. This would serve the purpose of keeping him around longer and evening out his salary cap hits.
Allen addressed the situation during his introductory press conference on Saturday. He made it clear right away that he didn’t accept a trade to Chicago with the intent of it only being one year. He’d like to stick around beyond 2024. It is more about finding the right time to have a conversation with Poles about the matter.
Poles didn’t wait long to lock up Montez Sweat to an extension last year after the Bears traded for him. He arrived on October 31st and secured his new contract on November 4th. It wouldn’t be surprising if the GM worked fast on this one, too, but his hectic schedule with pro days and private meetings may require a postponement.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signing their superstar receiver for another two years at $41 million. Like Allen, Evans is 31 years old. So that deal is the ballpark Chicago probably shoots for in their own extension talks. The tricky part is the health concerns. Allen has missed 11 games over the past two years with various injuries. Evans hasn’t missed 11 games in his career. Poles may wish to install some injury protections into the deal so the Bears don’t get caught with their pants down if the receiver can’t stay on the field.
The good news is Keenan Allen wants to stay. He is open to making Chicago his home for as long as possible. If he can maintain his excellence even for two more years, the trade will go down as a massive success for the organization. Anything beyond that is gravy. Poles’ agenda moving forward is finding common ground on that extension and then working to increase the number of draft picks he has. That trade pushed the Bears down to only four going into April. It is a safe bet it won’t stay that way.
