Bears acquire WR Keenan Allen from Chargers for 4th-round pick - ESPN

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears made their biggest splash in free agency Thursday night, sending a fourth-round pick to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for wide receiver Keenan Allen, the teams announced.

Allen, 31, is entering the final year of the four-year contract extension he signed in 2020 and is due a $5 million roster bonus Sunday. After declining to take a pay cut from the Chargers, he has a new home in the Bears' offense opposite wideout DJ Moore.

Allen, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, will reunite with wide receivers coach Chris Beatty, who coached the same position with the Chargers from 2021 to '23. Allen caught a career-high 108 passes last season and posted the second-best output of his 11-year career with 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns. It marked the sixth time in Allen's career that he crossed 1,000 receiving yards.

Chicago has four picks remaining in the draft (Nos. 1, 9, 75, and 122 via Philadelphia) after sending one of two fourth-round picks (No. 110) to the Chargers on Thursday.

«We're extremely excited to add Keenan to our team,» Bears general manager Ryan Poles said. «His body of work speaks for itself and we look forward to him elevating our offense.»

After catching passes from Justin Herbert over the past four seasons, Allen will be working with a new quarterback in 2024. Bears incumbent Justin Fields is set to enter his fourth NFL season while Chicago is expected to use the No. 1 pick on a quarterback, with USC's Caleb Williams the consensus top pick. Poles has intimated that he would be open to trading Fields this offseason, but as the first wave of free agency draws to a close, Fields, 25, remains on the Bears roster with over a month until the draft.

Last month at the NFL combine, coach