Keenan Allen release? From the Chargers? You mean the team that finally established 2 above par weapons for budding superstar Justin Herbert to play with? Yup, I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors – rumors which have gotten so much traction, even Bleacher Report wrote about it. And, well, there’s validity to the notion, as the Chargers would save $17.5 million from the move. Let me repeat:
$17.5 MILLION
Now, don’t get me wrong – I really hope this doesn’t happen. But in today’s sports climate filled with rushed rebuilds and the persistent urge to add as many stars as you possibly can (happy NBA trade deadline, by the way!) – you need to be the true cornerstone of the franchise, and have zero drama or bad things to say about said franchise to be immune.
And while “Slay” (Keenan Allen, for you non-Charger fans) has certainly never been a problem in the locker room (a la Russell Westbrook), or in the media (a la Kyrie Irving) – which begs the question…
Keenan Allen Release: Is It Even Worth It?
As the old cliche goes – football is a business, after all. And a Keenan Allen release might make sense financially, the whole point of making these “business decisions” is to give your team the best chance to win… right? And does a Keenan Allen release do this?
Well, considering the guy has been to 5 pro bowls, and been the WR1 since the days of Vincent Jackson, AND hasn’t seemed to lose a beat as of lately… it sure doesn’t look like a team without Keenan Allen is better.
Picture this: some potential scenarios where Keenan Allen is released…
a) Mike Williams is WR! – this wouldn’t be bad… if Mike Williams could stay on the field for more than half of a season.
b) The Chargers draft a new WR1 – the only problem is, we have a late first round pick, and the likes of Addison, Johnson, etc. will be off of the board by then.
c) The Chargers land a new WR1 in free agency – good luck, considering JuJu Smith-Schuster is about the best you can get, and the guy couldn’t even put up numbers with Patrick Mahomes at the helm.
So, let’s ask the question again – are the Chargers better without Keenan Allen? Hell no.
Keenan Allen Release: …Why?
Again, sure, it’d be great for the Chargers to save about $17.5 million and open up some much needed cap room. That’s a given, they need to do it – somehow – but is this really the answer? As alluded to above, there’s not really a win-win scenario here, so what’s even the point of saving the money?
If anything, the Chargers are in a position of needing to upgrade their weapons – not make them worse, especially when you just brought in a new Offensive Coordinator in Kellen Moore. Are you going to doom him from the beginning? Sounds like something the old San Diego Chargers would do; but Los Angeles has been a better, flashier look for the Bolts (when it comes to the financial plan).
I get it, the cap isn’t something to be played around with – but as every infomercial ever has said, “THERE’S GOT TO BE A BETTER WAY!”. In all seriousness, how about restructuring some contracts? Sure, Derwin’s got his big, and well deserved, pay day – but didn’t the higher ups think about this when they gave him the deal?
There’s also J.C. Jackson, who did absolutely nothing for the Chargers last year – now there’s a solution!
While I’ll admit I’m no expert when it comes to finances (or running a franchise, for that matter) – but if the Chargers were to release Keenan Allen to somehow solve this problem; there’s going to be an even bigger problem on the field. I’m pleading to you, Chargers management – please don’t do this…
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