Proof The Keenan Allen Age Concerns Are Overblown

Getting Keenan Allen was a stroke of good fortune for the Chicago Bears. There is no question he makes their offense immediately better. However, because fans are fans, they found something to complain about shortly after the trade happened. In this case, it is his age. Allen will be 32 years old this coming season. Thanks to trends that have gone on for years, people are conditioned to think NFL players become useless the moment they hit their 30th birthday despite a mountain of evidence suggesting otherwise.

Allen is one of the best route runners of his generation. Time has proven for decades that the receivers who last the longest in the NFL are the technicians of the game. If you wanted proof of this, here is a recap of some of the best to ever do it.

Ages the NFL's best route runners had their last 1,000-yard seasons:

• Jerry Rice - 40
• Larry Fitzgerald - 34
• Terrell Owens - 35
• Marvin Harrison - 34
• Steve Smith - 35
• Isaac Bruce - 34
• Tim Brown - 35
• Reggie Wayne - 34
• Cris Carter - 35
• Charlie Joiner - 34

Presuming the player stays healthy, it is pretty clear he should remain productive until at least his age 34 season. If Allen follows the same path, he could give the Bears three more good seasons. That would be terrific value for the 4th round pick they gave up.

The Keenan Allen dice roll comes down to health.

He missed seven games in 2022 and four games last year. So, there is an element of risk involved. That said, he remained highly productive even during those stretches. Besides, Allen overcame doubts about his health before. He missed large stretches of time in 2015 and 2016. Many felt he was a lost cause. Then, he only missed three games over the next five seasons. Injuries come down to luck more than anything else. All the Bears can do is get him prepared for Sundays and hope for the best.

One thing is for sure. Keenan Allen won't be seeing tons of double coverage like in L.A. because defenses can't afford to ignore D.J. Moore. More space might as well be cheating where he's involved. It is one of the reasons Chicago likely felt so comfortable trading for him despite the age concerns. He won't have to do the heavy lifting alone as he did for long stretches in L.A. Chicago has other options. If guys like Jerry Rice, Steve Smith, and Terrell Owens can excel despite switching teams late in their careers, there is no reason Allen can't.