After the 2026 NFL Draft, it seems as though Keenan Allen's return to the Los Angeles Chargers was unlikely.
The Chargers had added speedy receiver Brenen Thompson in the fourth round of the Draft. With a new offensive coordinator in Mike McDaniel coming in, it seemed like Los Angeles' new, motion-heavy, YAC-centric scheme wouldn't have space for Allen's possession skill-set. The general sense was that the team would want to turn over duties to some of their younger receivers like Tre Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith.
But Joe Hortiz, in his appearance on the Up & Adams show on Thursday, made clear that the door is certainly still open for Allen's return. The two sides have been in contact throughout this offseason.
If Allen comes back, his role will likely be minimal. He'll be there as a veteran leader and a trusted target for Justin Herbert.
But no matter what Allen's role is, the Chargers' continued interest represents bad news for Ladd McConkey, whose progression into stardom could be delayed even further by Allen's presence in the offense.
Keenan Allen certainly still has enough juice to take snaps away from Ladd McConkey
Allen was still a solid producer in his age-33 season in Los Angeles. Across 17 games, he posted 81 receptions for 777 yards and four touchdowns. It's clear that Herbert loves throwing to him, and he served as Herbert's security blanket in the middle of the field when the offensive line hung him out to dry.
That's a valuable thing to have no matter what offensive scheme you're running.
But under McDaniel, the potential is truly there for McConkey to elevate his game out of the slot. He has the speed and the after-the-catch abilities to make some noise in the open field. If Allen is not on the roster, McConkey will quickly be able to carve out a massive target share given how integral he'll be to what McDaniel wants to accomplish in the passing game.
If he returns, Allen won't receive anywhere close to the 122 targets he saw last year. But even the 40 or 50 targets he would garner will be coming directly out of McConkey's portion of the offense.
Contrary to expectations, McConkey's target share didn't drop significantly in 2025 with Allen's last-second return to the roster. But his percentage of snaps out of the slot dropped almost 7%. If Allen does return, and Herbert pushes for his inclusion in the offense on even a semi-frequent basis, McConkey will likely be pushed to the outside more often.
McConkey's best chance for a star-level breakout in a McDaniel offense is out of the slot. Allen's return wouldn't by any means be catastrophic for the offense— it would actually be a major boon to the cohesion of the room as a whole.
But it would, undeniably, siphon some number of opportunities away from McConkey in what is undoubtedly his most pivotal season as a pro to this point.
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