The biggest sign that a team has a great culture is when a veteran unexpectedly joins the team and finds a home.
The Chicago Bears have been no strangers to that process. Over the course of the past two years, the Bears have had three veterans join the team unexpectedly in wide receiver DJ Moore, defensive end Montez Sweat, and veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen.
Moore and Sweat admitted to having reservations about joining the Bears through the team's separate trades. Ryan Poles pushed for Moore when the Carolina Panthers were dealt the 2023 first-round pick, and during the 2023 season, Sweat was the defensive playmaker that the third-year general manager prioritized in his trade talks with the Washington Commanders.
Neither player expected to have their careers uprooted and moved to the Bears but each have become a leader within the locker room. The same can now be said about Allen.
Allen was a fixture with the Los Angeles Chargers' offense but a reluctance to restructure his contract led to the Pro-Bowl wide receiver being dealt to the Bears last March. Allen has yet to play a regular season game in a Bears' uniform, but his latest comments on Caleb Williams speak to the influence that the rookie quarterback has.
Keenan Allen on his confidence in Caleb Williams ahead of his first NFL start: "The expectation is what it always is: winning. No matter who the quarterback is, you want to win. I wouldn’t rather be with another guy right now than Caleb. He showed great—He’s gotten better ever…
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) September 4, 2024
The Caleb Williams' influence is real.
Let's not forget that Allen has a history of playing with elite quarterbacks, whether Philip Rivers at the start of his career or Justin Herbert in recent seasons. Instead, Williams is the quarterback that Allen wants to be with at this point in his career.
What will be curious is how the connection between Williams and Allen dictates the Bears' decisions next offseason. Allen is in the final year of a four-year extension signed during his time with the Chargers. The Bears have not ruled out signing Allen beyond this season but the wide receiver market has been reset with recent extensions of CeeDee Lamb, Brandon Aiyuk, and Justin Jefferson. Though, if Allen is to be taken at his word, perhaps he takes a discount to remain in Chicago with Williams.