The Bears traded a 2024 fourth-round pick to the Chargers March 14 in exchange for Allen, a six-time Pro Bowler. With Allen joining DJ Moore, the Bears are the only NFL team with two receivers who both compiled at least 1,200 yards last season.
“With the trades, Keenan Allen popped up, which was a really cool opportunity for where we’re headed, which is going to be with a young quarterback,” Poles said. “I thought it was an absolute perfect fit. I don’t think there’s a better receiver in the league that can be better for a young quarterback in terms of understanding the NFL, timing, space, reading defenses.
“I think that’s a great addition. It balances the field with DJ on the other side, Cole [Kmet] and [Gerald] Everett at tight end, [D’Andre] Swift at running back. We have a lot of really cool things that can get going and allow us to be dynamic and really special.”
Allen, 31, has spent his entire 11-year NFL career with the Chargers, who selected him in the third round of the 2013 draft out of California. The 6-2, 211-pounder has appeared in 139 games with 134 starts and caught 904 passes for 10,530 yards and 59 touchdowns.
Allen was voted to five straight Pro Bowls from 2017-21 and was chosen for a sixth time last season when he led the NFL with a career-high and franchise-record 108 receptions for 1,243 yards and seven TDs despite missing the final four games with a heel injury.
The Bears initially were interested in signing veteran receiver Mike Williams, who was released by the Chargers March 13 after teaming with Allen the past seven seasons. But Williams is rebounding from a torn ACL he sustained early last season and was out of the country. The Bears had hoped to bring him in for a physical but pivoted to Allen when they discovered he was available.
“That’s one of the things that our staff does really well: just identify potential cap casualties based on what other teams are looking to do,” Poles said. “We didn’t have total clarity on it, but when it happened, we were able to adjust and get into some conversations that we could capitalize on it. My time in KC, I watched him do some really cool things for a long period of time. And to watch the tape, it actually blew me away of how high of a level he’s still playing at his age.”
(2) Poles was proud to re-sign cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
The Bears placed a franchise tag on the 2020 second-round pick March 5 but were able to ink him to a…
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