One of the few bright spots from your Los Angeles Chargers' 2023 season has been the play of wide receiver Keenan Allen. Allen has been putting up incredible numbers and has been one of the only reasons for fans to continue watching this team.
He recently broke the Chargers record for receptions in a season, and he is inching closer to more Bolts records. Allen has 904 receptions for 10,530 yards in his career, all with the Chargers.
The Chargers franchise records are held by tight end Antonio Gates, who has 955 career receptions and 11,841 yards. Allen isn't too far off, and Gates seems to be rooting for him to break his record.
“Yeah, I know what he’s doing,” said Gates, who was inducted into the Chargers’ Hall of Fame during a halftime ceremony. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, he’s coming (after the franchise records). We knew that from the first time we saw Keenan play in a live game (as a 21-year-old rookie in 2013)."
The two were teammates for a few years, so this is great to see. Gates knows how special of a player Allen is, and it would be an honor for him to take the lead in the franchise records.
“I think my first words to Philip (Rivers, a former Chargers quarterback,) was, ‘This kid can flat out play.’ And what he’s doing hasn’t surprised me or the guys who knew what he could do when we played with him. I think the rest of the world is getting a glimpse of what he’s capable of. We already knew."
Allen may not break the records this season unless he has an awesome last few weeks, but assuming he's healthy next year, it'll likely happen. He is one of the best players in Bolts' history and deserves all the praise coming his way.
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