The Chicago Bears selection of wide receiver Rome Odunze in the 2024 NFL Draft likely has an impact on the team's willingness to sign veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen to contract extension this offseason.
When the Bears sent their 2024 fourth-round pick to the Los Angeles Chargers in March in exchange for Allen, there had been a belief that the two sides would work out a contract extension with Allen's current deal set to expire after next season.
Prior to the selection of Odunze, the idea of the Bears signing Allen had cold water thrown on it with the Pro-Bowl wide receiver previously seeking a deal, in contract extension talks with the Chargers, that exceeded the two-year deal that Mike Evans signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason.
A contract extension with the Bears does not appear to be in the works for Keenan Allen.
With Odunze now on the Bears with a rookie deal, there is less incentive for the Bears to sign Allen to an extension this summer. Ryan Poles admitted as much during an interview with Waddle and Silvy of ESPN 1000 on Thursday.
""We're just gonna keep it moving through the season and see how everything plays out," Ryan Poles said on ESPN 1000. "There isn't a sense of urgency there right now. But we'll see kinda how everything unfolds as we get into the season.Ryan Poles via NBC Sports Chicago
"We have a good relationship with the agent and we've had some conversations I'll keep private. But both sides are in a good spot.""
Factoring in that DJ Moore is also under contract for the next two seasons, it would seem that the Bears will be more likely to let Allen walk via free agency next Spring than sign him to a contract extension.