Newly-acquired Chicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen was almost traded to the Houston Texans.
Allen told reporters in his introductory press conference with the Bears that the New York Jets and Texans were involved in trade discussions before the Los Angeles Chargers ultimately sent the six-time Pro Bowler to Chicago for a fourth-round pick,
Houston offered Los Angeles a 2025 third-round pick as well as a pick swap for Allen and was willing to take on his $18.1 million base salary and $5 million roster bonus to facilitate the trade, according to KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson. The Texans then planned to sign Allen to an extension.
The Chargers, though, took the Bears’ No. 110 pick for Allen instead, which also got the veteran pass-catcher out of the AFC.
#Texans were willing to take on Keenan Allen contract, as currently constructed with $18.1 million base salary and $5 million roster bonus, and then work on extension, per a league source. Ultimately, it's moot point as he went to #Bears an NFC team. Texans took a big swing at… https://t.co/bOobMkTSAl
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 16, 2024
A similar situation unfolded with the trade for running back Joe Mixon. Houston sent a seventh-round to the Cincinnati Bengals for Mixon before the team gave the running back a three-year, $27 million extension.
Allen, 31, played 11 seasons with the Chargers and totaled 10,530 receiving yards and six 1,000-yard seasons. He caught more than 100 passes in four of the past five seasons, including in 2023 despite only playing in 13 games.
Why would the Texans trade for Allen? Houston is looking for a specific pass-catching weapon for quarterback C.J. Stroud, according to Wilson, who added that the team is not interested in others such as Buffalo Bills receiver Stefon Diggs and 49ers wideout Deebo Samuel because of salary cap restrictions.
Allen played over 50 percent of his snaps in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus. With starters Nico Collins and Tank Dell on the outside, Houston could have considered adding Allen as an inside receiver to bolster its passing attack.
Houston re-signed Noah Brown and has Robert Woods, John Metchie III and Xavier Hutchinson. The Texans have two picks in the second round after trading their first-round pick (No. 23) to Minnesota on Friday — another avenue for adding pass-catchers ahead of the 2024 season.
