With Keenan Allen set to become an unrestricted free agent in March, the odds seem overwhelmingly in favor that he won't be returning to the Chicago Bears for the 2025 season.
While Allen has expressed a desire to return to the Bears and continue his work with Caleb Williams, short of him willing to take a discount, it seems unlikely that the veteran wide receiver will be back in a Bears uniform.
That doesn't mean there isn't a void to fill. Three wide-receiver sets have long been the norm for modern offenses in the NFL, and if anything, Ben Johnson's arrival as head coach should signal the Bears truly building a modern offense.
With that in mind, a look at who might replace Keenan Allen in the Bears' offense.
1. Tyler Scott
It's been an undesirable start to his career for Tyler Scott. In his first two seasons with the Bears, Scott has totaled 173 yards on 18 receptions while being an afterthought in the Bears' offense. With Rome Odunze likely seeing more time on the outside, Scott could slide into being the Bears' slot receiver next season. Such a scenario would mean the Bears spent the offseason fortifying the trenches instead of the skill positions but it's possible Johnson sees something in the speed that Scott has.
2. Tim Patrick
Brad Biggs recently floated out Tim Patrick's name as an option for the Bears this offseason, and when the insider speaks, there often is some truth behind it. Patrick would come cheap and likely serve as a better third wide receiver than the aforementioned Scott, given his time with Johnson on the Detroit Lions in recent seasons.
3. Cooper Kupp
I almost hate mentioning Cooper Kupp because it seems that Ryan Poles has been obsessed with building the outside of a house before having the infrastructure in place. Using draft capital on a veteran wide receiver such as Kupp doesn't quite add up for a Bears' team in desperate need of overhauling their offensive line. Having said that, the key to a potential pursuit of Kupp could be if Ian Cunningham becomes the next general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Under that scenario, the Bears will be getting two additional third-round picks at their disposal, making a trade for Kupp much more feasible.