People are focused on known free agents and draft prospects when it comes to the wide receiver position. That is natural this time of year. However, each off-season tends not to consider another avenue: cuts. In this case, cap casualties. Chicago Bears fans must remember something. As of now, there are 14 NFL teams projected to be over the salary cap when the new league year begins in March. To avoid severe penalties, those teams will have to start working on cleaning up their books. That often means having to sacrifice one or two notable players. Enter Keenan Allen.
Among the teams facing this crisis are the Los Angeles Chargers. They're $20.26 million over the cap at present. GM Tom Telesco has some tough decisions to make with his roster. That includes cutting some core veterans. Chargers beat writer Daniel Popper of The Athletic presented a list of players that could be cap casualties in the coming weeks.
The five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver was near the top.
"Here are the six cuts that can save the Chargers the most space.
1. Edge Khalil Mack: $18.4 million in savings pre-June 1; $22.9 million in savings post-June 1
2. WR Keenan Allen: $14.8 million in savings pre-June 1; $17.5 million savings post-June 1
3. CB Michael Davis: $7.4 million in savings, same for pre- and post-June 1 since 2023 is final year of his deal
4. LG Matt Feiler: $6.5 million in savings, same for pre- and post-June 1
5. C Corey Linsley: $5.3 million in savings pre-June 1; $10.5 million post-June 1
6. TE Gerald Everett: $4.25 million in savings, same for pre- and post-June 1Of these six, I think Allen, Feiler and Everett are the most likely."
That would be a significant game-changer for an otherwise mediocre wide receiver market. Thanks to their massive amounts of cap space, Chicago would be in an excellent position to go after him.
Keenan Allen is exactly what Justin Fields needs.
Let's start with why the Chargers would do this. The money is the obvious point. Cutting him would net them over $14 million in cap space. They're already paying Mike Williams a similar deal and he's younger. Josh Palmer also took a big step forward this past season for L.A. Allen missed seven games with injury problems, and he turns 31 years old in April. That said, when he did play, he remained one of the most dynamic playmakers on the field. His mixture of quickness and precision route-running was a nightmare for opposing defensive backs.
Fields prefers receivers that can create separation and give him the best possible throwing windows. See Chris Olave at Ohio State. Keenan Allen is built in that same mold. He might be on the older side, but the man should still have two or three peak years left if he can stay healthy. That gives Chicago all the incentives needed to make a run at him if the Chargers end up releasing him. A trio of him, Darnell Mooney, and Chase Claypool would make the Bears a suddenly far more potent passing attack.
