LA Chargers: Keenan Allen agrees to four-year extension

The LA Chargers are retaining their star wide-out for the foreseeable future.

For a handful of NFL players, Saturday was cut day.

This infamous yearly occurrence is one where many roster hopefuls receive their fates, as all 32 teams faced a mandatory roster reduction to the standard 53 players ahead of the season’s kickoff.

But for LA Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen, Saturday was pay day.

For the second time in his career to date, the Chargers and their star wide-out agreed to terms on an extension, paying out a reported $80+ million over the next four years.

As per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the new agreement makes Allen the second-highest paid receiver in the NFL, trailing only Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones and his $22 million annual salary.

Allen’s previous contract was set to expire in 2021, therefore urgency was certainly a factor in ensuring the completion of this new deal.

The All-Pro wide receiver signed his first extension with the Chargers prior to the 2016 season, landing a four year, $45 million pact with an average annual value of $11 million per year.

Aside from a few major injuries in 2015 and 2016, the latter of which resulted in him sitting out all but one game, Allen has been one of the most productive and consistent players at his position.

Across seven seasons so far, the veteran wide receiver has amassed four 1,000+ yard receiving seasons for a career total of 6,405 receiving yards on 524 catches. Assuming his health and productivity are sustained at or near their current levels, Allen should be on pace to eclipse the vaunted 10,000 career receiving yards threshold.

This would represent a major accomplishment and if attained, would almost certainly make the former third round pick out of UC Berkeley a candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame by the time he retires.

Allen also has 34 career receiving touchdowns, the 31st most among active players in the league.

Not to mention, Allen has been rated as one of the top players in the NFL by his peers in consecutive years.

Based on statistics alone, Allen is clearly deserving of this new contract. However, his impact as a leader in the Chargers’ locker room cannot be understated.

Following the departure of long time quarterback Philip Rivers in the off-season combined with the relatively youthful makeup of the Chargers team as a whole means that Allen’s veteran presence will be needed more than ever, especially as he becomes the second longest-tenured career Charger on the team, behind pass rusher Melvin Ingram.

It’s a good thing KA-13 is excited about the news as well, as they’ll need his enthusiasm to create energy on the field in the absence of fans to begin the 2020 season.

“Forever a Charger” has a nice feel to it, and with this extension, it appears as though that vision has come to fruition.