There has been a lot of speculation about whether Keenan Allen will return to the Los Angeles Chargers and rightfully so. While Allen is one of the better wide receivers in recent franchise history, the 30-year-old has a hefty cap hit ($21.7 million) for 2023 and hasn’t played a full season since 2019. While Allen presents himself as a potential cap casualty, Chargers GM Tom Telesco would like you to believe otherwise.
“Keenan Allen, to me, he’s our Andre Reed. He’s our Charlie Joiner,” Telesco said Wednesday on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football. “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.”
Interestingly, Telesco chose to compare Allen to the likes of Reed and Joiner, who spent the majority of their respective careers with one team. Since entering the league in 2013, Allen has spent his largely successful NFL career with the Chargers. While he’s on the wrong side of 30, it seems like the Chargers are pretty keen that he remains in Los Angeles for the remainder of his career.
Allen, who hauled in 66 catches for 752 yards with four touchdown receptions in 10 games this past season, would likely be the top receiver in a weak free-agent market if the Chargers elected to part ways with him. Though, Telesco seemed to put the kibosh on the idea that the Chargers would entertain letting Allen go, especially when considering that a player like Justin Herbert needs more weapons around him, not less.
[NFL.com]
