The Chargers wanted to scrap receiver Keenan Allen's 2024 compensation package, and they did just that.
Thursday night they announced a trade That would send Allen to Chicago.
Sure, they'll say the right thing when he leaves after 11 seasons with San Diego and the Los Angeles Chargers. Most teams do that almost all the time. But this is no longer the cold hard truth that every player in the league is a replaceable part of a football machine that continues to move in front of them, continues to move with them, and continues to move after them. Just one example.
A contract means nothing if one party can break it but the other party has to abide by it. In Allen's case, he found a suitor. The Chargers now have much-needed cap space and much-needed cash relief to acquire a fourth-round pick. In total, the Chargers will not pay Allen $23.1 million this year.
That fee would be paid to Allen by the Bears, who were happy enough to accept a deal that gave up a fourth-round pick to acquire him.
Allen left with 904 catches, 10,530 yards, and 59 touchdowns. He holds franchise records for yards and catches as a receiver. He reached 900 catches in 139 games, which was faster than any receiver in NFL history.
“Words cannot adequately express what Keenan Allen has meant to the Chargers for more than a decade,” Chargers president of football operations John Spanos said in a statement. “Keenan's influence lives on in the hearts of our fans, in the communities he served and in the countless teammates with whom he formed a brotherhood.”Keenan Allen We can't thank him enough for the contributions he has made to our organization on and off the field.”
Thank you, now scrum.. That's not to blame the Chargers. Every team does that. The act of terminating a player's employment has turned into a bizarre celebration on social media in recent years.
The good news for the Chargers is that they got value in Allen's contract. Nothing was done with receiver Mike Williams, who was cut Wednesday.
The good news is they found a way to keep pass rushers Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa on restructured contracts. And the entire episode sent a message to all players that it's a new day in Los Angeles under coach Jim Harbaugh and GM Joe Hortis. That there are no sacred cows.
Except for quarterback Justin Herbert. Who will hold the position as long as they play well enough to be worth their salary? The moment he falls far enough, he is pulled out of the machine, traded or disconnected, and posted on X, Instagram, or some passionate, heartfelt post into the toxic digital fast-food wasteland that is eating away at our minds at the moment. You will be grateful for it.
Happy Friday!
