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Courtney Cronin, ESPN writer
CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears made their biggest splash in free agency Thursday night, agreeing to send a fourth-round pick to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for wide receiver Keenan Allen, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Allen, 31, is entering the final year of the four-year contract extension he signed in 2020 and will receive a $5 million roster bonus on Sunday. After refusing to take a pay cut from the Chargers, he has a new home in the Bears’ offense opposite wide receiver DJ Moore.
Allen, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, will reunite with wide receivers coach Chris Beatty, who coached the same position with the Chargers from 2021-23. Allen caught a career-high 108 passes last season and recorded the second-best receiving production of his 11-year career with 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns. It was the sixth time in Allen’s career that he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards.
Chicago has four draft picks left (Nos. 1, 9, 75 and 122 via Philadelphia) after sending one of two fourth-round picks to the Chargers on Thursday. The Bears are reportedly sending their own fourth-round pick (No. 110) to the Chargers in exchange for Allen.
Last month at the NFL combine, Bears coach Matt Eberflus highlighted the priority of adding more pieces to Chicago’s wide receiver space. Former Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney signed a three-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency, leaving Moore, Velus Jones Jr., Tyler Scott and Nsimba Webster as the only receivers on the Bears’ roster. . Webster has spent most of his Chicago career on the practice squad.
“First of all, we don’t have a lot of depth there,” Eberflus said in February. “That’s the first part. Adding some dynamic pieces there through free agency or potentially through the draft, so to me, when you try to defend that, when you have a weapon at tight end and you have a weapon at receiver “X as a DJ. When you add a piece or two to the other side, it really balances you out. It’s hard to defend for sure.”
The addition of Allen gives Chicago another true star at wide receiver. He is coming off his fifth 100-catch season, the third most in NFL history behind only Antonio Brown and Brandon Marshall. Allen also holds the record for most 15-catch games (three times) and ranks fourth all-time for most 10-catch games. He had four 10-catch games last season, tied for second in the NFL.
Allen is the third skill player the Bears have added to the offense this week along with former Chargers tight end Gerald Everett, who agreed to a two-year deal, and running back D’Andre Swift, who signed his contract. for three years and $24 million. contract with the Bears on Thursday.