The Chicago Bears tried to stockpile talented wideouts for Caleb Williams in his rookie season, and the tactic didn’t work out.
Between D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze, the Bears had no shortage of options for Williams to target. However, the rookie quarterback was constantly under siege, and the Bears were dreadful running the football, so completions weren’t as easy to come by as they should have been.
Bringing in Allen was a fairly big swing from general manager Ryan Poles, and it didn’t quite work out. Though the Bears gave up just a fourth-round pick to get him, Allen was expensive, even if only for a year, and he put up 500 fewer receiving yards than the prior season.
It would be especially painful for the Bears if the 33-year-old Allen, a six-time Pro Bowler, signs elsewhere and has a productive season in 2025. Could that happen back in his familiar territory, the AFC West?
On Sunday, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox named the Las Vegas Raiders as a top potential fit for Allen, who is one of just a handful of receivers left unsigned one week into free agency.
“It’s worth noting that nothing about the Bears’ passing attack was impressive in 2024. Allen remains a sure-handed target, a precise route-runner and a quality red-zone target,” Knox wrote. “Allen caught seven of Chicago’s 20 receiving touchdowns last season.
“The Las Vegas Raiders (would be) a strong fit for Allen. Alongside Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers, Allen’s inside-outside versatility would give offensive coordinator Chip Kelly more alignment options. He’d also serve as a dependable target for new quarterback Geno Smith.”
Allen had just 744 receiving yards in a Bears uniform, but he had 1,243 in two fewer games in 2023. And he’s always tormented the Raiders, so switching up his colors to silver and black would be an intriguing late-career subplot for one of the best receivers of this generation.
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