The Los Angeles Chargers, at this point in the offseason, have one final major decision to make on the open market.
Of course, they could still bring in a veteran cornerback to help fill out their room, or an injury somewhere on the defense might necessitate an additional signing between now and the start of the regular season. But until the situation is resolved, all fans' attention will still be caught up in the status of Keenan Allen.
Allen had a productive season with the Chargers in Greg Roman's final year, taking on a stature as a 'security blanket' for Justin Herbert and the offense as a whole. Under Mike McDaniel's scheme, that fit is no longer there— at least not with the same role he had last season.
Perhaps the plan is to wait until training camp to make a decision on Allen. But if Los Angeles has already decided to move on, there could be an intriguing landing spot emerging for the veteran receiver.
The New York Giants.
Keenan Allen and the New York Giants could be a serendipitous match— if Allen is willing to make the move
At this point, it's impossible to tell if a reunion with Los Angeles is still in the cards. Some Chargers fans are holding out hope that Allen can return in a minimal pass-catching role and serve as a veteran presence for this receiving corps under the new offensive scheme. Others feel that it's time to move on, forcing both Herbert and the offense as a whole to push their young receiving corps forward.
But on a national scale, it seems as though analysts are already thinking of Allen's next destination. Kristopher Knox, in his recent piece for Bleacher Report on the best remaining free agents, outlined two possible destinations for Allen— the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants.
We've already analyzed Allen's potential fit in New Orleans in depth, but the Giants are an interesting one.
Most notably, Knox pulls a quote from ESPN Analyst Jeremy Fowler's appearance on The John Keim Report in which he insinuates that Allen might be open to moving out of Los Angeles even as he nears the end of his career.
"I heard that he wanted to stay on the West Coast and did... This year, I haven't heard that as much." Jeremy Fowler
This is a bit of a revelation, as it's seemed to this point that Allen would prefer to stay on the West Coast. But if he's open to the move, the Giants— with a young quarterback and a need for additional pass-catching help— could be a perfect fit.
New York has already brought in a trio of veteran receivers to help fill out their Malik Nabers-led pass-catching corps, including Odell Beckham Jr., Juju Smith-Schuster, and Braxton Berrios. But Allen likely has more left in the tank, especially in the context of Matt Nagy's scheme, than any of those pieces.
John Harbaugh, the new head coach in New York, will likely look to tame some of the erraticism of Jaxson Dart during his first season there. What receiver could be a better outlet for that than Allen?
Of course, this is merely a projected fit, and Allen's return to the Chargers could still be in the works as we speak. But if New York doesn't feel like it's done enough to fill out its receiving corps once we get to training camp, Allen could be a strong fit for the offensive identity they're attempting to build.
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