Packers C Elgton Jenkins Does Not Anticipate Contract Adjustment Following Position Change
Free agency saw the Packers add Aaron Banks as their new left guard starter. With Josh Myers departing on the open market, Elgton Jenkins is now in position to find himself at center. 
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Jenkins – who has thrived in several capacities along Green Bay’s O-line during his career – was not satisfied with the move given the difference in markets for guards and centers. In the spring, it was reported the two-time Pro Bowler was seeking an adjustment to his contract to reflect the move, but no such arrangement was made. When publicly addressing his situation, Jenkins confirmed his agent discussed a restructure with the team but also noted he does not expect one to take place before the campaign.
“Right now, I’m not even thinking about that,” the 29-year-old said (via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman) when asked about the lack of a contract adjustment. “Been playing this game for 20-some years, seven years in the league. I’m very confident in my ability and what I can do. The financial side, I know that’s going to come.”
Two years remain on Jenkins’ deal, and he is owed $32.8MM over that span. His $11.7MM salary will lock in just before the start of the season (just like every veteran around the league), but none of the former second-rounder’s base pay for 2026 is guaranteed. The Packers do not have a history of locking in money early, so it comes as little surprise no action was taken with respect to a restructure in this case.
Trey Smith moved the top of the guard market to $23.5MM this offseason, and a total of five guards are currently attached to a deal averaging $20MM or more per season. By contrast, Creed Humphrey leads the way in terms of center compensation at $18MM; only six players at the position sport an eight-figure AAV. Jenkins’ outlook on his third contract will be influenced heavily by not only his play but also this position change.
The Packers – who recently activated Jenkins from the active/NFI list – will count on strong play up front while aiming to remain contenders in the NFC North this season. Part of that effort will depend on Jenkins succeeding in his new position as he tries to play his way into an upgraded pact next spring.
Ravens Signing RB D’Ernest Johnson, Waiving K John Hoyland
It’s been a busy day of transactions in Baltimore, and while the names aren’t huge, the implications could be. The most impactful transactions of the day see the team bringing in veteran running back D’Ernest Johnson (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter) and waiving undrafted rookie kicker John Hoyland (per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports). 
According to Jamison Hensley of ESPN, Johnson is joining the Ravens as a depth piece in Baltimore’s camp. In a room that contains Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Keaton Mitchell, Rasheen Ali, and undrafted rookie Marcus Major, the Ravens have plenty of bodies, but Henry and Hill are not expected to play in the preseason and Major is currently dealing with a concussion. With preseason games starting this week, Johnson stands to get plenty of opportunities alongside Mitchell and Ali.
It’s been a while since Johnson held a significant role on an offense. After going undrafted out of USF in 2018, Johnson opted to play in the Alliance of American Football league in 2019. When the league came to an end, Johnson signed with the Browns and made the 53-man roster as RB3 behind Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. An injury to Hunt in 2021, allowed for Johnson to step into the RB2 role, in which he rushed for 534 yards and three touchdowns. In the three years since, Johnson has held minor roles in Cleveland and Jacksonville.
Hoyland’s waiving is significant due to the fact that he’s been in a two-man kicking competition with fellow rookie Tyler Loop for the honor of succeeding Justin Tucker as the team’s primary kicker. Loop was struggling early as he made changes to his technique and kicking motions at the request 0f Baltimore special teams coach Randy Brown. For a while, Hoyland was being tabbed as a likely candidate to be one of the undrafted rookies to make a 53-man roster that the Ravens are so notorious for.
Hoyland’s departure seems to indicate that Loop will open the season as the Ravens’ new kicker. Per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, head coach John Harbaugh claimed that cutting the undrafted rookie “was more about having roster needs elsewhere.” According to Harbaugh, “Loop is kicking well enough to win the job, but it’s going to be about the games.”
Elsewhere on the roster, the Ravens are adding tight ends Baylor Cupp (per Zenitz) and Scotty Washington (per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2) in the wake of the injury to Isaiah Likely. Joining Hoyland on the waiver wire will be fellow undrafted rookie Sam Pitz, a tight end out of Minnesota-Duluth.
Dolphins T Austin Jackson Experiences Injury Setback
After suffering the second major injury of his professional career and missing the final eight games of the 2024 season, Dolphins right tackle Austin Jackson has been working his way back to the field in training camp in hopes of being ready for a Week 1 trip to Indianapolis. Jackson’s comeback hit a snag today, though, as Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports that the 25-year-old suffered a “lower extremity injury” that will cause him to miss “weeks” in camp. 
Jackson may have been ahead of schedule in his journey back to the field, then. His targeted Week 1 return date was set back in June, and though today’s injury will seemingly set him back, head coach Mike McDaniel believes he will be on the field for the season opener (via Wolfe).
Jackson, the No. 8 overall pick out of USC In 2020, started immediately upon arriving in Miami as a left tackle. After being kicked inside to left guard in Year 2 and missing all but two games in Year 3, several question marks surrounded Jackson’s future. Returning in 2023 to start as a rare blindside blocking right tackle (for a left-handed quarterback), Jackson did enough to earn a three-year, $36MM extension.
Last year, the Dolphins had Kendall Lamm and Patrick Paul backing up Jackson and Terron Armstead. Armstead wasn’t re-signed to a new deal, and Lamm is now in Philly, so the depth that secured the team last year is not quite the same. Larry Borom stands as the most-experienced backup of a group that includes Ryan Hayes, Kion Smith, Braeden Daniels, Daniel Brunskill, and Bayron Matos, an International Player Pathway Program addition who was airlifted from practice to a hospital a week and a half ago but has since returned to the building.
If Jackson can reach his target return date, the Dolphins should be fine when the season opens, but they’ll now be requiring much more of some backups throughout training camp and the preseason. It will be an opportunity to get a relatively inexperienced group a good portion of quality snaps in Jackson’s absence.
Chargers LB Denzel Perryman Arrested On Felony Weapons Charges
Veteran Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman was arrested last night after a traffic stop for vehicle code violations resulted in the discovery of five firearms, including two assault-style rifles. According to a statement by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (via ESPN’s Kris Rhim), Perryman was cooperative with the deputies, booked on felony weapons violation charges, and is being held without bail. TMZ was first to report. 
An early statement from the Chargers (via Daniel Popper of The Athletic) told the media they “are aware of a matter involving Denzel and are gathering information.” While a statement from Perryman’s agent (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport) divulged that they “are still gathering facts…will fully cooperate with the process…do not take this situation lightly… (and) remain confident that the matter will be resolved fairly and in accordance with the law.”
Described by his agent as “a respected veteran” on the Chargers defense, Perryman’s career in the NFL has been one of ups and downs. Getting drafted to San Diego in the second round out of Miami (FL), Perryman showed talent early, earning a starting role six games into his 2015 rookie year, but injuries quickly became a point of issue. After only missing two games in Year 1, Perryman wouldn’t play in 14 games in a single season again until 2019, missing 20 games in the three seasons between.
Despite his frequent absences, Los Angeles extended him for two years after his rookie contract, but after first-round rookie Kenneth Murray and a third-year Kyzir White began to blossom, they allowed him to walk in free agency after six years with the franchise. In free agency, Perryman signed with a Panthers team a year removed from Luke Kuechly‘s sudden retirement. Ultimately, though, Carolina traded Perryman just before the start of the regular season to the Raiders.
In Las Vegas, Perryman had a career year at 29 years old. He started 15 games, finished sixth in the league with 154 total tackles (fifth in the NFL with 102 solo tackles), and earned his first and only Pro Bowl bid. A second strong season in Vegas saw his tackles decrease as he missed five games, but he still showed a renewed level of competition with two interceptions and 14 tackles for loss. He joined the Texans in free agency the next year, missing two games due to suspension and three to injury, and landed back with the team that drafted him last year, starting 11 games for his old squad.
Once a promising young, injury-prone, linebacker who lost his starting role in Los Angeles, Perryman went on to be a full-time starter for two other franchises, playing the best ball of his career, before coming back and securing a similar role with his old team last year. At 32 years old, Perryman is playing year-to-year on contracts at this point, but he was still expected to be a starter and a leader for a young group of up-and-coming backers in Daiyan Henley, Troy Dye, and Junior Colson.
With so many youthful options in the room, though, Perryman’s hold on a roster spot may be weakened by the events of last night. It’s unclear if last night’s arrest will lead to any discipline from the league or team, but details are sure to follow in the coming days.
FA QBs Asked Giants Not To Target Position In 1st Round
Kirk Cousins‘ experience in Atlanta seems to have served as a warning to other veteran quarterbacks around the league.
Giants general manager Joe Schoen revealed this week that multiple free agent QBs said they wouldn’t sign in New York unless the team promised not to take a quarterback in the first round of April’s draft.
Last offseason, the Falcons signed Cousins to a four-year, $180MM contract in free agency before using the No. 9 pick of the 2024 draft on Michael Penix. Cousins was surprised by the move and later revealed that he may have taken a different approach to free agency had he known of the team’s plans. Injury and turnover woes knocked the veteran out of the starting lineup late in the 2024 season and Penix replaced him as the team’s new franchise quarterback. Unable to secure a release or trade, Cousins is now set to spend the 2025 season as Penix’s backup.
Understandably, free agent quarterbacks looking for a new home this offseason wanted to avoid a similar situation. The Giants wouldn’t make any promises.
“We would not guarantee anybody that we wouldn’t draft a quarterback,” said Schoen in an appearance on WFAN (via Awful Announcing). For some free agents, that was a nonstarter, but Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll had yet to finish their evaluations of the 2025 draft class.
“When we sign these guys, it’s mid-March,” explained Schoen. “Daboll hadn’t seen some of the [prospects] throw yet, in-person. We hadn’t had private workouts with them. Some of them hadn’t been in our building yet.”
When Schoen and Daboll were hired in 2022, they inherited Daniel Jones from Dave Gettleman‘s time as GM. The Giants’ new regime declined to pick up Jones’ fifth-year option for the 2023 season, but Jones immediately put up the best season of his career and forced the team to give him an extension. After moving on from the 2019 first-rounder last year, Schoen and Daboll finally had a chance to pick their own quarterback prospect to draft and develop. They didn’t want to give up that opportunity to sign a veteran who would only serve as a short-term starter.
“We’re not going to promise that, because I don’t know who’s going to be there, we don’t know how the draft is going to unfold,” explained Schoen. “I’m never going to do that promise.”
The Giants ultimately agreed to terms with Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in March before selecting Jaxson Dart with a first-round pick a month later. Wilson is expected to start this season with Winston serving as his primary backup and Dart learning the ropes from his veteran teammates.
Saints To Re-Sign G Shane Lemieux
August 2: Lemieux’s signing came on the heels of a knee injury to Nick Saldiveri, who is going on season-ending injured reserve, per ESPN’s Katherine Terell.
Saldiveri started six games at left guard last season and was competing for the starting job in 2025 with Penning. Though the Saints relied on him more than expected last year, Lemieux is unlikely to be a Week 1 starter and will likely served as a multi-positional backup along the interior of the offensive line.
August 1: Shane Lemieux spent the 2024 campaign in New Orleans, and he will look to do the same this season. The sixth-year guard as a deal in place with the Saints, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. 
[RELATED: Reviewing Saints’ Offseason]
Lemieux began his career with the Giants and played out his rookie contract from 2020-23. Over that span, the former fifth-rounder was marred by injuries; after logging nine starts as a rookie, Lemieux made a total of only six appearances for New York during his final three years with the team. That obviously hurt his value as a free agent.
Originally joining the Saints on the practice squad, Lemieux wound up being elevated to the active roster in October. That allowed him to make a total of seven appearances and four starts for New Orleans as the team battled a slew of injuries throughout its offense. The campaign nevertheless included another stint on injured reserve for the 28-year-old, so it comes as little surprise he remained on the open market into August.
Lemieux took part in the Saints’ minicamp in June as part of an effort to secure a second contract with the team. That has proven effective, albeit along a belated timeline. The Saints entered Friday with over $20MM in cap space, so this pact – which will no doubt check in at the veteran minimum – will not have an impact on any further moves which take place between now and the start of the regular season.
New Orleans is set to use Taliese Fuaga at right tackle in 2025 with first-round rookie Kelvin Banks Jr. a candidate to handle blindside duties. Regardless of how that plays out, Trevor Penning (who has not met expectations at either tackle spot) will move inside to guard this season. Penning is slated to operate as New Orleans’ top option at left guard, but Lemieux will look to compete for time on the right or, more likely, a backup role through the remainder of training camp.
Ravens Sign DL Brent Urban
August 2: Urban’s workout must have gone well, as the Ravens announced his signing on Saturday morning.
Urban was one of the five defensive linemen on Baltimore’s 53-man roster to start the 2024 regular season, but he will likely be competing with Jenkins if the team carries the same number this year.
July 31: Brent Urban could be back in Baltimore for yet another season. The veteran defensive lineman is set to work out for the Ravens “in the upcoming days,” according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.
The veteran will be seeking his fourth-consecutive one-year contract from Baltimore. That latest stint has seen Urban appear in 46 total games, with the defensive lineman compiling 63 tackles and four sacks while appearing in about one fourth of his team’s defensive snaps. The 34-year-old has also gotten into five playoff games over that span.
A former fourth-round pick, the Virginia product spent the first five seasons of his career in Baltimore, starting 19 of his 41 games. He spent the 2019 season between the Titans and Bears, and after collecting a career-high 2.5 sacks in Chicago in 2020, he spent the 2021 campaign with the Cowboys. He reunited with Baltimore ahead of the 2022 season.
As Zrebiec notes, Urban remains “an organizational favorite,” and his familiarity with John Harbaugh and the coaching staff would obviously make him a natural fit for the 2025 iteration of the Ravens. Baltimore is set to return the same main DL grouping of Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones, and Broderick Washington next season, and the team added the likes of John Jenkins and sixth-round pick Aeneas Peebles for some depth. Urban would likely slide in towards the bottom of the depth chart if he garners another contract from the team.
Micah Parsons Requests Trade From Cowboys
Cowboys All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons has requested a trade, according to a lengthy social media post that details his protracted negotiations with the team.
Dallas has no intention of trading Parsons, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic, but teams are still expected to reach out to the Cowboys to inquire about his availability.
Despite the trade request, Parsons is not planning to leave training camp, according to WFAA’s Ed Werder, which would subject him to a daily fine of $40K. This certainly has the makings of an awkward situation, but teams have received trade requests from hold-ins in the past.
“I did everything I could to show that I wanted to be a Cowboy. … Unfortunately, I no longer want to be here,” Parsons said. “I no longer want to be held to close door (sic) negotiations without my agent present. I no longer want shots taken at me for getting injured while laying it on the line for the organization, our fans and my teammates.
“I no longer want negatives created and spread to the media about me. I purposely stayed quiet in hopes of something getting done, but there is confusion out there. Let me clear some things up.”
Parsons’ statement references Jerry Jones mentioning his 2024 injury, a high ankle sprain, in reference to the negotiations. The fifth-year defender said he had his agent (David Mulugheta) reach out to the Cowboys about a 2024 deal, and his statement indicates the team did not want to begin talks last year. Parsons said Mulugheta told him to wait until other deals were completed, thus seeing his price rise, but Parsons wanted to start the process before that happened. The DE’s camp alerted the Cowboys at the Combine about a readiness to launch talks, acknowledging how that route would leave money on the table. The aforementioned Parsons-Jones dialogue that set up parameters of a deal did not, per Parsons, constitute formal negotiations.
Mulugheta then contacting Cowboys negotiator Adam Prasifka led to a team stance, per Parsons, that the deal was already done. Parsons then said Mulugheta reaching out to COO Stephen Jones did not lead to negotiations. After Parsons’ camp put the ball in the Cowboys’ court following that attempt, the player indicates the team has not contacted Mulugheta regarding an effort to resume negotiations. That brings us to today’s trade request.
Last year, Brandon Aiyuk requested a trade and was allowed to shop around while holding in with the 49ers. That process led to the parties regrouping on an extension. The 49ers had developed a reputation for waiting too long on paydays, but the Cowboys are on another tier — based on the developments in 2024 and with Parsons this year — regarding contract timing. Many other instances of trade requests leading to no change have transpired in recent years as well.
This is a long time coming for Parsons, who had expressed confusion as to why the Cowboys were waiting this long — as the edge rusher market continued to be updated with market-setting extensions — to pay him. Parsons is almost definitely the Cowboys’ best player, and even as the team paid Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb ahead of contract years in 2024, a 2025 extension always loomed for the All-Pro edge rusher. But a report earlier this week pointed to progress stopping between the parties, leading to a rumor earlier today Parsons was considering a trade ask.
Parsons had long aimed for a deal to be done by training camp, having observed how extended negotiations can affect a player’s upcoming season. Zack Martin admitted his holdout affected his 2023 season. The Cowboys have not displayed expediency here, despite Parsons becoming extension-eligible in January 2024. The team’s reputation for prolonged negotiating sessions reached a boiling point last year, when Lamb held out into late August before being paid and Prescott’s deal was not done until hours before their season opener in Cleveland.
Parsons follows Terry McLaurin in requesting a trade. Unlike McLaurin, Parsons did not begin training camp as a holdout. But the two are using a similar playbook during slow negotiations. Each is not practicing due to injury, though as the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins pointed out this week, Parsons is not receiving on-field treatment for his reported back issue. This amounts to a de facto hold-in, which is understandable given Parsons’ frustration with the team.
Lamb did not request a trade, and Prescott practiced while his deal was being negotiated. Those proceedings unfolding as they did and then the Cowboys taking this path with Parsons has led to torrents of criticism, especially with the EDGE market exploding this offseason. Maxx Crosby topped Nick Bosa‘s $34MM AAV to set a new standard in March, and Myles Garrett topped it with a whopping $40MM-per-year deal. Danielle Hunter then eclipsed Crosby’s number, albeit on a one-year add-on, and T.J. Watt set a new standard — at $41MM AAV.
That market explosion sets up Parsons with a clear chance to enter the season as the NFL’s highest-paid edge rusher, seeing as he is 26 — nearly four years younger than Garrett and five years younger than Watt. The Cowboys could see the price rise higher if the Lions pay Aidan Hutchinson before the season, but Jerry Jones has let it be known that is not exactly a chief concern.
The owner’s deep pockets notwithstanding, the Cowboys will still see an inflated Parsons rate affect their ability to build rosters long term, especially as Prescott is tied to a record-smashing extension (no player is within $5MM AAV of Dallas’ QB) and Lamb being on the league’s third-most lucrative WR deal.
Although multiple trade rumors cropped up between last season and the early offseason, the Cowboys should not be expected to budge here. They have a track record, cost notwithstanding, of completing big-ticket deals. Dallas also showed a willingness to bend on its preferred five- and six-year term-length preference — an outdated model as the cap continues to spike — by giving Prescott and Lamb four-year deals. We heard earlier this offseason term length could be an issue here, and while it is odd neither Jerry or Stephen Jones has negotiated directly with Parsons’ agent, the team almost always finishes these agreements.
Dallas also has not been shy about unholstering the franchise tag. That would be an obvious option with Parsons if the Cowboys cannot move past the finish line before Week 1. They went to that well with Prescott in 2020, after spending much of the 2019 offseason negotiating with Prescott. The sides did not wrap that negotiation until March 2021, as Prescott’s price steadily climbed — to the point the Cowboys executed a wildly player-friendly deal. That preceded Prescott scoring historically player-friendly terms on his $60MM-per-year extension. The Cowboys waiting with Parsons will only increase the price, barring a major injury.
The Cowboys could waive fines if Parsons did shift to a holdout, with the CBA granting them that choice due to the decorated EDGE being on a rookie deal. Even if the Cowboys (h/t ESPN’s Adam Schefter) have not traded a player coming off a Pro Bowl season since dealing Super Bowl-years safety Thomas Everett in 1994, they would run into considerable trouble if Parsons threatened to miss games. When Parsons has been on the field from 2021-24, Dallas has ranked as the NFL’s best defense (per EPA); they have, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, ranked as the second-worst during this span when Parsons is off the field.
Parsons has not technically made the threat to hold out, though his trade request does move him down that road. A true holdout would mean sacrificing $1.41MM each week. This situation has gotten ugly, a scenario that certainly could have been prevented with an earlier extension.
Nikhil Mehta contributed to this post.
Commanders Do Not Intend To Trade WR Terry McLaurin
In the absence of progress at the negotiating table, Terry McLaurin went public with a trade request on Thursday. The chances of the Commanders dealing him away have long been viewed as low, and that remains the case at this point. 
A number of teams inquired with Washington about McLaurin prior to the news of his trade request. As Nicki Jhabvala and Dianna Russini of The Athletic report, though, the Commanders informed suitors they have no plans of moving on from the two-time Pro Bowler. The sides remain at an impasse regarding extension talks, so interest on the trade front will no doubt continue until and unless an agreement is reached.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated notes a number of issues (including overall value and guarantees) are yet to be resolved in McLaurin’s case. That differs from, for instance, the case of Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals. The AAV of a new Cincinnati agreement appears to have been hammered out, but the sides are at an impasse with respect to guaranteeing more than the first year of any new pact. It remains to be seen general manager Adam Peters and the Commanders will be willing to reach or surpass $30MM per year on a long-term contract.
While remarking on the situation, one general manager told Russini they liken this case to that of Haason Reddick from last year. Reddick engaged in lengthy holdout with the Jets while seeking an extension following his trade from the Eagles. In the end, a short-term compromise was made but Reddick’s debut was delayed until Week 8 and he departed in free agency after an underwhelming campaign. Any similar absence through the regular season – something which, to be clear, McLaurin has not yet threatened – would of course be highly detrimental to a Commanders team aiming to duplicate last year’s run to the NFC title game.
During a Friday appearance on the Rich Eisen Show (video link), NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said a trade cannot completely be ruled out at this point. The Patriots are known to be a potential suitor in the event Peters’ approach changes and consideration is given to a swap. Such a move would leave Washington with trade acquisition (and pending 2026 free agent) Deebo Samuel atop the WR depth chart.
However, the Commanders have a star quarterback on a rookie contract, opening up a clear competitive window for them to build around Jayden Daniels before he commands a market-level salary. That would seem to include investing in a perennial thousand-yard threat like McLaurin – who already has an impressive rapport with his young QB. Coming to an agreement with the soon-to-be 30-year-old feels like an inevitability, whether it be before Week 1 or partway into the regular season.
Chargers, Keenan Allen Discussing Reunion
The second-leading receiver in Chargers history is discussing a reunion with his initial NFL team. Keenan Allen said in January he would aim for either a Bears re-signing or a return to California. The latter option appears in play.
Allen is meeting with the Chargers today, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport report. Mutual interest exists here, as Jim Harbaugh did not slam the door on an Allen comeback in April. After longtime Allen sidekick Mike Williams retired before his second Bolts stint was to begin, a veteran opening exists here.
Although Allen is more of a slot player at this point in his career, the Chargers are determining if he and Ladd McConkey can coexist. McConkey seized command of the Bolts’ receiving corps last year, being drafted weeks after the team traded Allen to the Bears. After Chicago used a 2025 second-round pick on Luther Burden, Allen’s path back to the team looked to be blocked. A recent report indicated Allen was drawing interest, and the Chargers appear to be one of the teams open to a signing.
The Chargers have a locked-in top target in McConkey, but they do not have much certainty beyond him. The team has not seen 2023 first-rounder Quentin Johnston justify his draft slot, and rookies — post-Williams — are otherwise being asked to step in. Los Angeles added another second-round wideout, Tre Harris, and used a fifth-round selection on KeAndre Lambert-Smith. While Allen is 33 and nearing the end of his career, he could still probably provide a solid supporting-cast option. The Bolts are undoubtedly seeing what such a move will cost.
Allen’s 10,530 receiving yards trail only 2025 Hall of Fame inductee Antonio Gates (11,841) in Bolts history. Allen also trails Gates in terms of years of service with the franchise (16-11). Not certain to join Gates or Charlie Joiner in Canton, Allen is an all-time Chargers great who provided an important No. 1 presence during Philip Rivers‘ later years and Justin Herbert‘s rookie contract. Allen posted six 1,000-yard seasons with the Bolts, his most recent producing a career-high 95.6 yards per game.
After Allen’s 1,243-yard season, hard feelings emerged after the Chargers attempted to give him a pay cut. This came as the Bolts made four major moves to reach cap compliance in Joe Hortiz‘s first year as GM. The team gave Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack pay cuts and released Mike Williams. Allen was then traded to the Bears for a fourth-round pick. It proved interesting that Allen was willing to return to the Chargers under this regime, but it being in the city where he lived for 11 years upon becoming a pro obviously matters a great deal.
Last season, Allen became a regular Caleb Williams target. At 32, he caught 70 passes for 744 yards and seven touchdowns. The Bears did not adjust Allen’s $20MM-per-year deal upon acquiring him, letting it expire in March. Allen’s Chicago-or-L.A.-or-retirement pledge has not produced a known update yet, even as a recent report indicated multiple teams were interested. Allen has not been closely linked to another team, making these rather important Chargers talks.
A six-time Pro Bowler, Allen is running out of time to submit a Hall of Fame case. The Chargers giving him a chance to add important contributions to a playoff-caliber team would help in that regard. Allen joins Amari Cooper as accomplished unsigned 30-somethings at the position, as DeAndre Hopkins, Stefon Diggs and Tyler Lockett found homes months ago.