Bears’ Depth Chart, Salary Cap After Reported Keenan Allen Trade with Chargers

The Chicago Bears reportedly added a huge piece to their offense Thursday.

According to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, the Bears are trading for Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen in exchange for a fourth-round pick. Allen had 1,243 receiving yards and seven touchdowns despite playing just 13 games in 2023.

Adding the veteran gives Chicago a huge boost as it gears up for what it hopes will be a big year in 2024. The Bears hold the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, where they very likely could select the quarterback who will be throwing to Allen.

Here’s how the receiver fits into the Bears’ depth chart of skill position players:

Before the trade, the Bears had an estimated salary cap of $57.19 million, per Spotrac. Allen has a $23 million salary-cap hit, meaning Chicago will now have an estimated $34.09 million in cap space. The Bears held the most cap space heading into free agency, giving them the luxury of taking on players like the 31-year-old.

Allen, who has been with the Chargers his entire career, was reportedly approached by Los Angeles about taking a pay cut. He declined and was sent to Chicago a few hours later, ending an 11-year tenure with the Chargers.

The Bears’ offseason is far from over, though. The team holds the No. 9 pick, and Chicago is expected to trade quarterback Justin Fields and draft USC’s Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick. Fields, who had a promising third year in 2023, could yield more pieces for Chicago.

Should the Bears take Williams with the first pick, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner will be walking into an offense that is set up to succeed.

The Bears have not found much success over the last decade and have missed the postseason the last three years. A good offseason could lead to the shift Chicago has been searching for.