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Keenan Allen is happy to be back with the Los Angeles Chargers but has not forgotten about the 2024 trade that sent him to the Chicago Bears.
One day after signing with Los Angeles in free agency, Allen met with the media to discuss his return. While expressing excitement to be back with his original franchise, Allen still seemed to harbor a slight grudge against the organization for how his 2024 offseason unfolded.
“I feel like it could've been prevented at some point,” Allen said. “But it is what it is. Chicago was a great organization, great people. Shoutout to those guys for a hell of a season.”
When asked if he means the trade could have been prevented by accepting a pay cut, Allen quickly rejected the notion: “No.”
The Chargers sent Allen to the Bears for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. They ended up repackaging that pick, sending it to the New England Patriots to trade up and select Ladd McConkey in the second round. The deal comes full circle with Allen and McConkey now teaming up in Los Angeles.
Allen previously admitted that the trade shocked him and gave him a small sense of betrayal. He nonetheless went on to have another great season, ending the year as the Bears' second-leading receiver with 744 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
Chargers' Keenan Allen reunion adds to 2025 receiving corps
The Chargers entered the offseason with a desperate need to add a reliable No. 2 receiver to supplement McConkey in Justin Herbert's weaponry. They have adequately addressed the need with their signing of Allen, the latest move in that regard.
Los Angeles' first move to address its offensive concerns came in the 2025 NFL Draft when the team selected Tre Harris in the second round. They went on to take KeAndre Lambert-Smith and tight end Oronde Gadsden II in the fifth round, a pair of investments that have paid off tremendously thus far.
The recent flurry of moves turned the Chargers from a receiver-needy team into one that is nearly dealing with an embarrassment of riches. Harris' rookie holdout allowed Lambert-Smith and Gadsden to thrive in OTAs and training camp, making them the team's stars of the early offseason.
While Allen has not played for head coach Jim Harbaugh before, he has four years of experience with Herbert. During that time, he averaged 95 catches and 1,031.25 receiving yards per season, bolstered by two 1,000-yard campaigns.
