Was the Bears trade for Keenan Allen worth it?

The Keenan Allen trade officially came full circle for the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Chargers on Tuesday, nearly 18 months after it was initially made. Allen is set to re-sign with the Chargers on a one-year deal worth over $8 million, bringing him back to the team he called home for 11 seasons.

That time with Los Angeles was interrupted last year when the Bears acquired Allen in a trade. The Bears sent a 2024 fourth-round pick in exchange for Allen last March, who was entering the final year of his contract.

Allen gave the Bears an experienced receiver and one of the best route runners of the last decade to go along with fellow receiver DJ Moore and tight end Cole Kmet. It was an effort to provide rookie quarterback Caleb Williams with another trusted veteran who could help him along as he began his NFL career.

The overall results in 2024 for Allen were mixed. He battled injuries early on and looked a step slower than his days with the Chargers, with reports that he was playing at 230 pounds. Allen eventually made an impact, producing big games that included multiple touchdowns and one game with 141 receiving yards. All in all, though, Allen finished the year with 70 receptions for 744 yards, and seven touchdowns. His reception and yardage totals were the lowest of his career since 2014 when playing 14 games or more.

As the season drew to a close, Allen expressed a desire to remain in Chicago or to go back to Los Angeles. The Bears made things pretty clear early in free agency that they weren't interested in a reunion. The Chargers were, however, thanks to a surprise retirement by Mike Williams, Allen's former teammate. Now they get back their franchise-leading receiver they hope will contribute to a playoff organization. Since Allen wound up being just a one-year rental in Chicago, was the trade to acquire him worth it? I would still say it was.

When it comes to the actual trade, the Chargers came out as the big winner. They used the fourth-round pick acquired by the Bears (No. 110 overall) to move up and select wide receiver Ladd McConkey in the second round. McConkey was essentially Allen's replacement, and quickly became LA's top weapon by totaling 82 receptions for 1,149 yards, and seven touchdowns. He set multiple team rookie records and should be a force for the Chargers for years to come. Getting Allen back just one year later is the cherry on top. But just because the Bears got the lesser end of the deal, doesn't mean it was a bad deal to make.

At the time, the free agent options at wide receiver were limited, and teams were overpaying for mediocre performances. The Bears could have (and nearly did) sign wide receiver Gabe Davis to a lucrative multi-year contract, but instead acquired a better receiver in Allen for a Day 3 pick in the hopes of jumpstarting their rookie quarterback's development. And for his part, Allen immediately took Williams under his wing.

Just days after the trade went down, Allen showed up at Williams' pro day at USC to show support for the quarterback. They played cards together in the offseason, building a bond beyond football. "Ever since I've been here, ever since he's been drafted, we've always had the connection, the relationship," he said after the Bears' win over the Jacksonville Jaguars via Athlon Sports. "Just going back and forth, laughing, whatever it is, talking football, video games, playing cards, you know, whatever."

Their connection was visible when the two were seen together. Throughout the season, Allen was consistently on the sidelines working with his quarterback to help him understand plays better, and Allen became Williams' most trusted target. There was a sense of calm in the middle of a storm when Williams would look Allen's way, as he was willing to fire passes into tight coverage when Allen was on the receiving end. That wasn't always the case with the other weapons last year.

Despite missing two games, Allen finished second in targets with 121, just 19 behind Moore. Williams had a 95.2 passer rating when targeting Allen in 2024. That was higher than Moore (94.5) and Rome Odunze (82.7), according to Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic. Williams also didn't throw an interception while targeting Allen, either. While it's important for Williams to develop that chemistry with Moore and Odunze, Allen played a pivotal role in the quarterback's overall development during a season of turmoil.

Speaking of Odunze, the Bears were targeting him with their second first-round pick going into the draft, but it wasn't a guarantee they would land him. What if general manager Ryan Poles missed out on the rookie and had to look elsewhere? Having Allen and Moore would have been even more paramount to give Williams quality weapons to work with. Getting Odunze gave Chicago options going forward, and having Allen on board allowed him to settle in as a rookie receiver.

The biggest letdown of the Allen trade wasn't his speed, his weight, or the fact he was likely going to be a rental. It was how his normally reliable hands suddenly started dropping balls at an alarming rate. Allen led the Bears with eight drops last season, according to PFF, with some coming at crucial moments. One was a drop in the end zone against the Tennessee Titans, while another came in the red zone against the Arizona Cardinals. It was very out of character for the veteran, and those issues didn't sit well with fans as the season progressed.

Another issue that plagued the offense was there wasn't a cohesive scheme that all three receivers could thrive in. For much of the year, the route combinations rarely made sense and Allen's involvement on certain plays didn't seem to fit his skill set.

The Allen trade turned out to be a one-year rental, and the Chargers regrouped quickly thanks to the Bears' draft pick. Though it was short-lived and didn't meet expectations, a trade like that made sense at the time. The deal didn't cost much, and it gave a rookie quarterback a proven weapon to work with on the field. It's up to Williams to find that same comfortability with his other receivers, Moore, Odunze, and rookie Luther Burden. That's already starting to take shape at training camp, and the hope is Williams can gel with this young nucleus fairly quickly going into the 2025 season.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Was the Bears trade for Keenan Allen worth it?