It may have taken months of speculation but the reunion is still just as sweet. Keenan Allen is once again a member of the LA Chargers after signing a one-year deal with the Bolts on Tuesday. Best of all, the Chargers brought Allen back without breaking the bank.
Allen's one-year deal with the Chargers is worth $8.52 million. It's unclear how much of that is guaranteed and if the contract is incentive-loaded like Mike Williams' contract was. Regardless, that is the most the Chargers will pay, and it's a great deal.
Any fans who were worried about Allen coming back and it being a waste of resources should no longer have those concerns. The Chargers brought Slayer back and did so at a price that everyone can agree on.
Keenan Allen's contract details cement him as a steal for the Chargers
That might seem like a big salary for someone who didn't sign until the start of the preseason but when you compare Allen's salary to other notable wideouts, it's clear how good of a deal the Chargers got.
Stefon Diggs, Cooper Kupp, Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, Tutu Atwell, Adam Thielen and Darnell Mooney are just a few of the names who have a larger cap hit than Allen in 2025. Heck, Michael Pittman's cap hit is nearly three times as high as Allen's despite having very similar numbers last season.
Sure, Allen is no longer in his prime and the Chargers aren't going to get another 1,200 yards out of him. But even a 70 catch, 700-yard season would be worth the $8.52 million. The Chargers had the cap space to spend and it doesn't restrict the team at all in the future. What isn't there to like?
Allen previously said that he only wanted to play in Chicago or Los Angeles and that clearly impacted his market. The all-time Chargers great removed any leverage he had in discussions and the Chargers got a great price as a result.
Could the Chargers have used that salary-cap space on other positions? Sure. In a perfect world, if the Chargers knew Mike Williams was retiring, they would have just signed Allen and used the extra cap space to address the interior offensive line.
But that is not the reality we live in and two wrongs do not make a right. The Chargers may have made a mistake in not committing to the offensive line earlier this offseason but not paying Allen now wasn't going to change that fact.
Allen is back home looking to finish what he started. With him in the offense, the Chargers' passing attack just added a new layer that will aid in the team's pursuit of a Super Bowl.