There are parallels between Allen and Amari Cooper, both of whom had career highs in some key categories in 2023 but then looked about five years older in 2024. In Allen's case, he dropped from 95.6 yards per game in his final season with the Chargers to 49.6 ypg in his lone season with the Bears, posting career lows for catch rate (57.9 percent) and yards per target (6.1) while playing in an offense that got subpar efforts from its offensive line, QB and top coaches. Allen was a victim of circumstance, yet also part of the problem, with his per-target numbers being worse than those of Chicago's other key pass catchers and 64 percent of his production coming in five of his 15 games (including four Chicago losses in which he mostly piled up stats near the end). Th 33-year-old waited until early August before signing a one-year deal to return to Los Angeles, where competition for playing time will come from Ladd McConkey, Tre Harris and Quentin Johnston. It's McConkey who poses the real problem for Allen, coming off a 1,149-yard rookie season in which he often aligned in the slot. And while the Chargers should have an efficient passing game as long as Justin Herbert stays healthy, Greg Roman's offense isn't nearly as pass-heavy as the offenses that Allen played in for the first few years of Herbert's career.
