Bears WR Keenan Allen reveals preferred destinations for next season

On By Littum

There is still over a month of football left to play for Chicago Bearsbut soon it will be time to start having discussions about which players will stay or go when the 2025 offseason begins. One such player set to hit free agency is wide receiver Keenan Allen, who the Bears acquired from the Los Angeles Chargers last offseason for a fourth-round pick.

To this point in the season, Allen hasn’t produced like he had when he was a member of the Chargers for a decade. The perennial Pro Bowl receiver is averaging just 40.9 yards per carry. game and has 368 yards with three touchdowns. At 32 years old, Allen doesn’t have too many seasons left and next season might be his last chance to get a big payday, but he already has a shortlist of teams in mind.

Allen joined “The Big Dog Show” with teammate Marcedes Lewis and David Kaplan and they talked about the receiver’s future plans and whether they involve the Bears. Allen indicated that he or his agent have had no conversations with general manager Ryan Poles, but offered where he would like to be in 2025. “I will say this: I’m not playing — it’s Chicago or LA,” Allen said. Kaplan brought up the New York Giants as a hypothetical possibility, and Allen quickly shot it down. “No, definitely not the giants,” he said with a laugh.

So if Allen has his way, he would sign with the Bears or head back west to play for the Chargers, or maybe even the Los Angeles Rams. That makes sense considering he has four kids and probably doesn’t want to uproot his life again, but it also shows he enjoys playing with quarterback Caleb Williams and the rest of the offensive linemen. Lewis himself said he hopes to return for another year and believes it is “on the Bears” to re-sign Allen.

However, this may prove to be difficult. The Bears already have DJ Moore and Rome Odunze locked up for at least the next three years, and they have holes to fill at other positions. Allen was paid $23 million this season, and it remains to be seen what he will command in terms of a price tag after reportedly turning down a pay cut from the Chargers last year. Additionally, the Bears may not be as motivated to re-sign Allen given his overall drop-off in production.

We’ll see soon enough what the Bears plan to do with Allen, Lewis and the rest of their impending free agents. Hopefully, Allen can build off his eight-catch, 86-yard performance from last week and end the season on a high note after a slow start. That will certainly help his chances of getting a new contract in Chicago.