The Bears found their receiver to pair with DJ Moore, trading a fourth-round pick to the Chargers for Keenan Allen, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Chicago's Josh Schrock. The Bears confirmed the move on Thursday night.
According to a report from Ian Rapoport, the Chargers approached Allen about taking a pay cut to help the organization come down from the cap. He declined, according to Rapoport, and the Bears jumped on it.
Adding a wide receiver this offseason was at the top of the Bears' to-do list. They exceeded the expectations trading for Allen.
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Allen, 31, has recorded five 1,000+ yard seasons in the past seven seasons. Last season, he earned his sixth Pro Bowl nod, thanks to a season that saw him record 1,243 receiving yards (11th in the NFL) and seven touchdowns. He also caught 108 passes (sixth in the NFL) on 150 targets.
The Bears were speculated to have interest in Mike Williams, Allen's teammate last season in Los Angeles. The Chargers released Williams on Wednesday, freeing $20 million in cap space. Allen, on the other hand, is arguably a bigger acquisition for the comfortable price of a fourth-round pick.
Allen will reunite with Bears wide receivers coach Chris Beatty, who was Allen's wide receivers coach from 2021-23 in Los Angeles.
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"We're extremely excited to add Keenan to our team," Poles said in the Bears announcement. "His body of work speaks for itself and we look forward to him elevating our offense."
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