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Chargers great Keenan Allen suggested as fit for NFC contender

Originally posted on Los Angeles Chargers on SI
By Andrew Parsaud | Last updated May 31, 2025 5:30 AM ET

Los Angeles Chargers fans have been dreaming of a scenario of Keenan Allen reuniting with the team. Allen, who was traded to the Chicago Bears last offseason for a 2024 fourth-round pick, is now considered one of the top free agents remaining on the market.

The Chargers recently brought back Mike Williams, who had a rollercoaster 2024 season with stops in New York with the Jets and then the Pittsburgh Steelers. Williams now joins last year's rookie sensation Ladd McConkey and Tre Harris, the Chargers' second round pick from this year. While Allen could very well rejoin his former team, Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated doesn't see them as the best fit for his services.

Manzano suggests that the Atlanta Falcons are the best landing spot for the veteran Allen.

"Allen’s production slightly declined in his lone season with the Chicago Bears, but some of that should be attributed to Caleb Williams getting very little time to operate behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. In his final season with the Chargers, Allen registered 108 catches for 1,243 yards. And it’s not like he fell off the cliff last season, recording 70 catches for 744 yards and seven touchdowns. Allen, 33, could help Michael Penix Jr. and Drake London in Atlanta. Unless tight end Kyle Pitts suddenly becomes a consistent target, the Falcons have a thin pass-catching group."

Allen would be a perfect veteran safety blanket for a young quarterback such as Penix Jr, just as he was for Caleb Williams in Chicago last year. It'll be interesting to see where the Chargers' great ends up for the 2025 season.

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