Talented wide receiver Keenan Allen is still somehow a free agent.
The Denver Broncos should be on the phone with his agent right now.
Just last week Pro Football Focus ranked the Broncos’ receiving corps as the 22nd best in the NFL. Adding a proven veteran like Allen would instantly move them up at least five spots.
The long-time member of the Chargers is looking for a new home and this is the perfect moment to get something done. The Broncos went that route with J.K. Dobbins at running back earlier this month. Now is the right time to do the same with Allen.
Dobbins instantly upgraded Denver’s running back room and Allen would do the same for the wide receivers. In fact, he’d be QB Bo Nix’s second or third favorite target, behind Courtland Sutton and perhaps new tight end Evan Engram.
Broncos Country is rightfully encouraged by the likes of Marvin Mims Jr., Devaughn Vele, Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin, but none of them are fully proven NFL players. Mims and Vele have the most potential, Bryant was an interesting draft pick and Franklin is coming off a disappointing rookie season.
While giving those four time to grow, head coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton should bring Keenan Allen into the fold.
In his career the 33-year-old has nearly 1,000 receptions for more than 11,000 yards and 66 touchdowns. Despite last year being his 12th NFL season, this time in a bad Chicago Bears offense, Allen still caught 70 passes for 744 yards and seven touchdowns. There’s plenty of gas in the tank.
If the Broncos think their Super Bowl window is starting to crack open, which it feels that way, what’s the harm in adding Allen?
He’s coming off a four-year contract that paid him more than $80 million. For a chance to win a ring he’d probably be a bargain. And considering Denver has more than $15 million in cap space, they can figure out how to get something done.
It would be exciting to watch Nix have three proven veterans in Sutton, Engram and Allen to throw the football to, while also mixing in the young guys. A move like this could also really push someone like Franklin to prove he’s worth a spot on the 53-man roster.
If you start mapping out the numbers, Franklin would be the sixth wide receiver on the team with the addition of Keenan Allen… at least on paper.
The Broncos swung big with Dobbins, Engram and key defensive additions like Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga. But the wideout room still seems underwhelming. This is an easy solution to that problem.
And with Nix looking like he’s an ascending star, it’d be a disservice to not provide him with more weapons. Just because fans in Denver know the names of Mims, Vele, Bryant and Franklin, they’re not exactly top of mind for average football followers. Allen certainly is.
Training camp is about a month away so you can bet Allen and his representatives are starting to wonder what’s next. Getting a contract inked before football season really begins is likely a priority.
2025 can be the year the Broncos take the AFC West from the Kansas City Chiefs for the first time since 2015. The defense is loaded. The running back and tight end rooms are improved. Nix could be a top-10 QB in the NFL. There’s just one missing piece — and that’s another receiver who’s played at the highest level for a long time.
Keenan Allen can be the answer to that question. Let’s see if the Broncos realize it and figure out a way to get something done.