With their wide receiver room full of question marks, the 49ers could use a steady veteran. Keenan Allen might be the perfect late-offseason addition to boost San Francisco’s offense.
With training camp underway, the pool of available free agents has been thoroughly picked through by teams around the NFL. Six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen still remains unsigned, and could be a great fit with the San Francisco 49ers in a questionable wide receiver room.
At 33 years old, Allen is definitely in the back half of his career, but still has a lot to offer for whatever team offers him a contract. The wideout has been patiently waiting for the right opportunity to arise, weighing all of his options.
Free agent WR Keenan Allen, one of the top remaining players on the market, has drawn interest from multiple teams in recent weeks.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) July 23, 2025
My understanding is he’s been waiting for training camps to open to better assess the landscape and get a clearer picture of each team’s wide… pic.twitter.com/4e7aclezM1
Of the multiple teams interested in Allen, the 49ers make a ton of sense, for a multitude of reasons. With a mostly unproven and banged-up wide receiver core, general manager John Lynch has to be thinking about bringing in a veteran presence for some stability.
Allen showed he’s still got plenty of juice left in the tank in 2024, finishing his 12th NFL season with 70 receptions for 744 yards and a team-high seven receiving touchdowns for the Chicago Bears.
The veteran utilized his polished route running to continue to generate separation on the outside, something that San Francisco could definitely benefit from having.
Spending last season in Chicago was the first time Allen played a season of football outside of the state of California since high school. The former California Golden Bear could look to head back to the West Coast in 2025, this time residing in the Bay Area.
Playing time may be easy to come by with the 49ers for Allen, who could replace the production missing from Brandon Aiyuk and potentially Jauan Jennings, if his injuries or contract disputes continue to linger.
“There’s a guy who played for Cal and the Chargers that’s kind of sitting out there waiting for a chance and I wonder if one more injury [at WR] and there would be some phone calls made. There would have to be.”
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) July 27, 2025
— Matt Barrows on the possibility of the 49ers calling Keenan Allen… pic.twitter.com/t4qJkgvrHi
After locking up Brock Purdy long-term earlier this offseason, having proven pass catchers surrounding him should be a priority. With Allen’s impressive resume and experience, he would most likely help the young quarterback and any young pass catchers with their development.
San Francisco made a similar addition a few years ago, bringing Emmanuel Sanders in for his age-32 season back in 2019. Lynch could see this situation as a familiar one, hoping that Allen can similarly bring a new skillset to his offense.
Category: Football
