Another massive domino in the NFL offseason fell on Monday as the Chicago Bears hired now-former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as the team's next head coach. Once a candidate for the LA Chargers' head coaching job before the team hired Jim Harbaugh, Johnson will now coach one of the most promising young quarterbacks in the league, Caleb Williams.
Despite being set at head coach and playing in a different conference, the Chargers are impacted by the Bears hiring Johnson. Johnson was a prime candidate for the Las Vegas Raiders job and with him taking the Chicago job instead, the Raiders are now left searching for a head coach, quarterback and GM all in the same offseason.
It also may impact the Chargers in a negative way as well. Johnson taking the Bears job may keep a prominent free agent in Chicago, preventing a reunion that many Chargers fans want to see.
Bears hiring Ben Johnson may stop Keenan Allen from returning to the Chargers
Keenan Allen has made it clear that he will only play in Chicago or Los Angeles next season. The Chargers certainly need wide receiver help and a reunion with Allen is one that could benefit all sides.
The Chargers would bolster the wide receiver room with yet another target Justin Herbert is extremely comfortable with. Ladd McConkey would be the deserved WR1 but Allen would bring back a dynamic that would play nicely in this offense.
Allen and McConkey are the only Chargers receivers in recent memory who can actually create separation at a consistent rate. Having them both in the same offense would make life much easier for Herbert, even if Allen is past his prime.
For Allen, it gives him a chance to contend for a Super Bowl with the team many think he should have never left. Allen would be able to take his well-deserved top spot in several of the Chargers' all-time receiving records and can still get a decent payday in the process.
Allen is not going to get what he might have wanted last offseason from any team. With plenty of cap space, the Chargers could offer Allen a fair-market contract.
Chicago also has cap space, though, and now they have one of the most innovative offensive coaches in the sport. If Allen's M-O is maximizing a short-term contract to try and earn a bigger payday next offseason then the Bears may seem like a better fit.
Allen could truly thrive in a Johnson-led offense with a blossoming Williams under center. Allen would be productive on the Chargers but would likely see a dip in the surface-level numbers with McConkey being the No. 1 target in an offense that is all about protecting the football and wasting clock.
The Chargers know they don't have much competition for Allen because of the exact words that have come out of his mouth. Perhaps the hope is the Chargers could get a discount on Allen after his first season in Chicago didn't go as planned.
But with the most promising offensive mind in the sport now leading the charge, Allen may be more intrigued in a reunion with the Bears after all.