The Chicago Bears improved their offense in a significant way on Thursday night as the team acquired six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers.
Scoopage… Bears have traded for WR Keenan Allen sending Chargers a fourth rounder. @NFLonFOX
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) March 15, 2024
Wide receiver was a position of need for the Bears entering the off-season. The Bears made an attempt on the first day of NFL Free Agency to sign former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis but Davis chose a similar offer from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Bears' patience paid off as Allen gives the Bears a wide receiver duo that may be the best combination that the team has ever had.
Keenan Allen gives the Chicago Bears a wide receiver pairing with D.J. Moore that is the best in the NFC North.
Allen totaled 1,253 receiving yards with the Chargers last season and 7 touchdowns while hailing in 108 receptions.
The Chargers were the team to watch at the start of the new league year as the team faced difficult cap decisions with the contracts of Allen, wide receiver Mike Williams, and pass rushers Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa. Mack and Bosa restructured their contracts while Williams was released.
Allen was approached with a pay cut on Thursday before the trade was completed with the Bears.
The #Chargers approached star WR Keenan Allen about a pay cut today, which he declined. The team then dealt him to the #Bears, who continue to load up. A wild offseason in Chicago.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2024
Regardless of who the starting quarterback of the Bears will be in 2024, the team has heard the criticism that was received throughout last season. Ryan Poles' lack of offensive support for Justin Fields has been highly scrutinized and the general manager seems to have corrected that this off-season with the additions of running back D'Andre Swift and Allen.
The Bears now have three dynamic playmakers at the skill positions to bolster an offense that has been broken since the second half of the 2018 season.