Can the Los Angeles Chargers keep Keenan Allen?
The Los Angeles Chargers took a big step in quarterback Justin Herbert’s third season. The Chargers made it to the playoffs as a wild card team. Unfortunately, the Chargers blew a 27-0 lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars, which ended the team’s season. They made a few changes for next season, and now the team will have to make more moves to keep critical players like wide receiver Keenan Allen on the roster.
Allen’s contract is pricey. His cap hit is set to be over $21 million in 2023, according to Spotrac. According to Over The Cap, his cap hit is about what the Chargers are in the red ($20 million) for their salary cap in 2023. The team must move some money around or make cuts, or else the Chargers might have to trade or release the five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver.
According to Jeremy Bergman with NFL Network, Chargers’ general manager Tom Telesco thinks Allen is an integral part of the Chargers’ offense, and Telesco has no plans to see Allen in another uniform:
“Keenan Allen, to me, he’s our Andre Reed. He’s our Charlie Joiner,” Telesco said Wednesday on Good Morning Football when asked if the aging WR has a place on the 2023 roster. “He’s an incredible football player. We have a great quarterback and we need weapons around him. There’s never been any thought of that.”
Allen played at a high level in the ten games he started in the regular season. He finished with 752 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2022. Not bad, considering he missed several games last season with a hamstring injury.
