The NFL world was caught by surprise when the Los Angeles Chargers decided to trade their star wideout Keenan Allen earlier this month to the Chicago Bears. But it turns out that trading Allen wasn’t the Chargers’ first option.
Speaking with reporters earlier this week, Chargers’ general manager Joe Hortiz said that the team proposed Allen with “multiple options”, including an extension offer.
“Just none of them worked out, and we had an offer for him the day we traded him,” Hortiz said. “We kind of went down every path, and in the end, this was the one that fit us best and fit him best.”
Shortly after Hortiz’s comments went public, Allen’s agent, Joby Branion, went on social media to explain that they only received one option. According to Branion, the Chargers offered his client a two-year extension that included taking a pay cut this upcoming season with “deeper cuts to his current pay” in each of the following seasons.
It makes sense that Allen, who has six Pro Bowl nods to his name, rejected a pay cut, considering he had one of his best seasons as a pro in 2023. He finished last season with a career-high 108 catches for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns.
Now, Allen will play out 2024 on a $23.1 million salary with the Bears before hitting the free agent market next year. That is, of course, if Chicago doesn’t decide to offer him an extension in the meantime.
