Wide receiver Keenan Allen has played all but one of his 13 NFL seasons with the Chargers. Then based in San Diego, the Bolts took Allen in the third round of the 2013 draft. He turned into one of the best players in franchise history. Allen ranks first among Chargers in catches (985), second in yards (11,307) and third in receiving touchdowns (63).
After spending 2024 in Chicago, where he racked up 70 of his 1,055 career receptions, Allen reunited with the Chargers on a one-year, $8.52MM last August. Allen went on to average a career-low 9.6 yards per catch in his first career 17-game season, but he led the team in receptions (81) and targets (122). He also pulled in four touchdowns.
Allen returned to free agency back in March, but he is once again unsigned late in the spring. The Chargers have not ruled out a new deal for the 34-year-old, though.
In a Thursday appearance on Up & Adams, Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz told Kay Adams that the “door is not closed” on bringing Allen back. Hortiz revealed he has had “some communication with [Allen’s] representation.”
While Hortiz is not ruling out another go-around with Allen, he noted the Chargers want to let their current receivers “grow and develop.” In his three drafts atop the Chargers’ front office, Hortiz has added Ladd McConkey (2024) and Tre Harris (2025) in the second round, Brenen Thompson in the fourth round (2026) and Keandre Lambert-Smith in the fifth round (’25). Hortiz also exercised Quentin Johnston‘s fifth-year option for 2027 earlier this offseason.
Like Allen, McConkey carries significant experience in the slot. As things stand, he and Johnston are the Chargers’ top two at the position. The team also has a couple of capable pass-catching tight ends in Oronde Gadsden and recent free agent pickup David Njoku, further adding to quarterback Justin Herbert‘s options. As a fifth-round rookie last year, Gadsden far exceeded expectations during a 49-catch, 664-yard campaign. Meanwhile, although he took a backseat to Browns third-rounder Harold Fannin in 2025, Njoku notched 33 receptions and four scores in 12 games.
The Chargers still have over $45MM in cap space, giving them plenty of room to re-sign Allen. Even if Allen does not end up as a member of the Chargers’ receiving corps in 2026, he should be able to find a taker before the season. For now, he and other established wideouts like Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill, Deebo Samuel and DeAndre Hopkins are in limbo.