Bear Digest

5 free agent WRs the Chicago Bears must target to replace Keenan Allen

Alan Goldsher

Would wide receiver Chris Godwin look good in a Chicago Bears uniform?
Would wide receiver Chris Godwin look good in a Chicago Bears uniform? / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
In this story:

Everybody loves Keenan Allen.

He’s one of the best route runners of his generation. He has hands that would make a tub of Stickum jealous. He’s a willing blocker and a fantastic teammate.

And he’s interested in remaining with the Chicago Bears. But are the Chicago Bears interested in retaining the future Hall of Fame pass-catcher?

That one gets a big, fat maybe.

For the Love of Money

Allen is approaching his age-33 campaign and—considering the current average shelf life of an NFL receiver is 2.1 seasons—the former UCal Berkley Golden Bear wants to get paid. Over the Cap guesstimates that he’ll command a yearly salary somewhere in the area of $10 million, a relatively large chunk of Chicago’s available cap space.

If Bears GM Ryan Poles doesn’t want to make that sort of investment in a thirtysomething wide receiver (which would be 100% understandable), and if new head coach Ben Johnson wants some more speed from the position (also quite reasonable), here are a few options on the free agent market who might jumpstart Chicago’s wide receiver room:

TEE HIGGINS

The sure-handed possibly-soon-to-be-former-Cincinnati-Bengal is the league’s white whale, arguably the most game-changing option on the market at any position. He’d break the bank—Poles would have to throw him as much as $30 million a year—but Ben Johnson would sure love having him next to D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze.

CHRIS GODWIN

Godwin has been in the trainer’s room so often—he’s played just three full seasons over his eight-year career—that folks forget how darn good he is. (Dude racked up four 1,000-plus yard campaigns and an insane career drop rate of 2.2%.) Another two check marks in the yes boxes: Godwin is just two-plus years older than Higgins and would be slightly more cost effective.

DYAMI BROWN / OLAMIDE ZACCHEAUS

In Washington, the twosome—who are, respectively, 25 and 27—had an electric quarterback (Jayden Daniels) and a balls-to-the-wall play caller (Kliff Kingsbury), two luxuries they’d have in Chicago. If Kingsbury made them look good, Ben Johnson will make them look better.

TuTu ATWELL

While Moore and Odunze have quicks, Atwell has jet-propelled cleats. The University of Louisville product ran a 4.32 at his combine, a fact that Rams coach Sean McVay sometimes seems to have forgotten during the receiver's three-year tenure in Los Angeles. (Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp had a little something to do with that. But still.) Johnson would love to have the 25-year-old speedster in his back pocket, and he could be a fantastic bargain for Ryan Poles.

Published |Modified
Alan Goldsher
ALAN GOLDSHER

Alan Goldsher has written about sports for Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Apple, Playboy, NFL.com, and NBA.com, and he’s the creator of the Chicago Sports Stuff Substack. He’s the bestselling author of 15 books, and the founder/CEO of Gold Note Records. Alan lives in Chicago, where he writes, makes music, and consumes and creates way too much Bears content. You can visit him at http://www.AlanGoldsher.com and http://x.com/AlanGoldsher.

Home/News