Bears WR Keenan Allen wants to add the only missing line to his resume: playoff wins

In a twist of fate, Keenan Allen left the West to seek gold.

Even stranger, he's going to try to find it with the Bears.

Allen, whom the Chargers traded to the Bears in March rather than pay a $23.1 million salary cap hit for his age-32 season, is one of the most accomplished receivers on the planet. Playing for a franchise that has done more than any other to modernize the forward pass, Allen finished with 904 receptions for 10,530 yards, the most yards of any receiver in Chargers history. Among active NFL receivers, Allen ranks fourth in career receiving yards — behind DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Evans and Davante Adams — and second in receiving yards, behind Hopkins.

However, there is one thing missing: winning.

“It’s the number one priority,” he told the Sun-Times. “If you look at the resume, it’s kind of the only thing that’s not on there.”

He has never won his division. Despite being blessed with star quarterbacks (Allen has played all but one game in his career with either Philip Rivers or Justin Herbert), the Chargers have never been good enough to host a playoff game. They have played five postseason games since drafting Allen in 2013, winning two. Their most recent loss was one of the most ignominious in playoff history: In January 2023, the Chargers blew a 27-0 lead to lose to the Jaguars on a go-ahead field goal.

There's still one thing missing from his career, Allen concedes: He's been to six Pro Bowls but has never been named an All-Pro.

“But we’re playing to win the Super Bowl,” he said. “We’re not playing to win an All-Pro.”

In the final year of his contract, Allen may have one last chance to change the narrative of his career. Doing it with the Bears would be a feat: The Bears have played just two postseason games in his career. The one they hosted had a more heartbreaking ending than the Chargers' loss in Jacksonville: Cody Parkey's double-double against the Eagles.

Winning in Chicago could be the difference between the Hall of Fame and the Hall of Fame.

“When you look at guys that aren’t in the Hall of Fame and where I am now, I think it can go either way,” Allen said. “There’s a lot of guys that aren’t in the Hall of Fame that have better stats than me, and there’s guys that don’t have better stats than me that aren’t in the Hall of Fame.”

Andre Johnson, who joined the Hall of Fame earlier this month, has played in just four playoff games. But he might be the exception.

“The whole job has to add up,” Allen said.

The Bears are betting Allen will come close to repeating his 2023 feat, when he had 108 receptions for 1,243 yards in just 13 games. His 95.6 receiving yards per game last year would be a Bears single-season record, while his 108 receptions would rank second in franchise history.

Allen is known as perhaps the best route runner in the league — accurate, smart and savvy. He can change the tempo of his routes to confuse defenses, knows how to maintain leverage against defenders and knows how to cut off both his left and right feet without throwing off his balance.

“If you play him too close to the ground, he’s good enough to make an incredible catch,” Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson said. “So you’ve got to give him space to see which way he’s going. If you play him too close to the ground, he can take it the other way. And if you play him low, he’s definitely going to take it over the top.”

The Bears hope that knowledge rubs off on their recruits: No. 9 pick Rome Odunze, who plays Allen's position, and quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick.

Allen befriended Williams, as he has with every quarterback in his career. The two stayed in the same hotel during offseason workouts and bonded over studying the playbook and playing Monopoly Deal, a card game. Allen attended the wedding of his high school quarterback. His quarterback at Cal was Zach Maynard, his half-brother. Allen is friends with Herbert and still talks to Rivers every week.

Allen said Rivers was thrilled about signing with the Bears, comparing it to his own one-year stint with the Colts in 2020 before he retired. Being traded by the only team he's ever known motivated Allen.

“It wasn't really about production,” he said. “It was more about money. They wouldn't pay me. It makes me a little bit bummed.”

He takes comfort in the fact that it's happened to other Chargers: LaDainian Tomlinson (Jets) and Eric Weddle (Ravens and Rams) and Junior Seau (Dolphins and Patriots). Time, and a big salary cap hit, remain undefeated.

“That could be a good thing,” Allen said. “When you’re with the Chargers, everybody knows you. When you’re here, you have to create a new nickname — nobody really knows it. Nobody really knows what you do on a day-to-day basis, how you approach the game. You have to start those things over. And then you want to be consistent with this team.”

This nickname, for the record: Slayer.

Allen has yet to learn to adjust to the Midwest. In the elevator of his apartment, strangers greet him, something that never happened back home. The cold, when it comes, will also be new.

“California,” he said, “is definitely a place you don't want to leave.”

Allen could stay here for just one season. He doesn't know how many years he has left — he said he'll decide at the end of the season if he wants to play in 2025 — but he's open to the idea of ​​staying with the Bears.

“It depends on how the extension works,” he said, “and how long I want to keep playing.”

In reality, he didn't really feel like a transplant until training camp began. During the offseason, he made himself believe he was only in town for a short period of time, like during Pro Bowl week.

“Once it was time to move away from my family, I realized it was the transition,” he said.

Allen’s kids stay in California for school. While that allows him to stay longer at Halas Hall (he doesn’t have anyone waiting for me), it can be lonely. Right now, he says, it feels like being left home alone for a long weekend. That probably won’t change as the season progresses.

“I don’t think it’ll be any different,” he said. “Except when it’s cold, because I don’t have anyone to hug.”

But if you play through January, Chicago will be happy to bring the heat.