Veteran wideout expects to be back with Chargers

Keenan Allen expects to be back in Los Angeles next season. Despite being attached to an untenable $34.71M cap hit next year, the veteran wide receiver doesn’t believe he’ll be traded or cut.

“Yea, absolutely,” Allen responded when asked if he’ll be back in Los Angeles next season (via NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe). “I don’t see myself going anywhere.”

Allen is still playing on a four-year, $80.1M extension he signed with the Chargers back in 2020. The Chargers do have the ability to get out of Allen’s $34M-plus cap hit in 2024; the team would face just $11.6M in dead cap by releasing the receiver. Allen is also due a $5M roster bonus in the middle of March, so the Chargers will surely make a decision sooner than later.

The organization is facing a cap crunch heading into the offseason, with Spotrac.com currently projecting them to be $44M in the red. Even if Allen does want to stick with the organization, the front office may ultimately decide to value the cap savings. Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, and Mike Williams also have cap hits that exceed $30M, so tough decisions are certainly coming in Los Angeles.

Allen rebounded from an underwhelming 2022 campaign to have one of the best seasons of his career in 2023. He finished this past year with 108 receptions for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns in only 13 games.

The wide receiver was also asked about the team’s decision to hire Jim Harbaugh. Allen said his new head coach has encouraged him to “continue to be a leader, continue to be who I am.” The wideout also expects to return to the playoffs for just the second time in six years.

“We’re going to continue to compete,” Allen said. “Do what we do. And we’ll put some better results out there.”