The Los Angeles Chargers are a team on the rise. They are coming off a 2022 season where they finally broke into the postseason for the first time with Justin Herbert at the helm. While that playoff run did end in less-than-ideal fashion, L.A. is a team that has put the league on notice and currently owns the seventh-best odds to win the Super Bowl next year.
Speaking of the 2023 campaign, there has been some wondering what the roster of that club will ultimately look like, particularly at the wide receiver position. Keenan Allen has been a mainstay at the position since the club took him in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft, and been one of the most productive receivers in the league. However, Allen was limited to just 10 games last year and will be 31 years old by the time Week 1 rolls around, so it's natural to ask if the club may look to move off him this offseason. It's a fair question when considering he accounts for $21.7 million of the team's salary cap and the Chargers could clear $14.8 of that by cutting him.
While Allen may have a lofty cap number attached to him, it doesn't sound like L.A. is considering a seismic change at the wide receiver position.
"Keenan Allen, to me, he's our Andre Reed. He's our Charlie Joiner," Chargers GM Tom Telesco told the NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" on Wednesday when asked if Allen has a place on next year's roster. "He's an incredible football player. We have a great quarterback and we need weapons around him. There's never been any thought of that."
Of course, putting Allen in the same breath as both Joiner and Reed indicates that Telesco sees him as a player who's going to spend the majority, if not all, of his career with the Chargers. So it doesn't sound like he's going anywhere as it relates to 2023 at the very least, meaning he'll continue to be a main piece in the passing attack headlined by Herbert.
"So he's with us and between him and Mike Williams and Josh Palmer, we think that's a great three receivers for our quarterback," Telesco said. "We got Austin Ekeler at running back. We have an offensive line that can protect. So those are key weapons we need for our quarterback. We're thrilled with Keenan."
Allen is currently signed through the 2024 season with cap hits of $21.7 million and $25.8 million in 2023 and 2024, respectively. While he may not be a cap casualty, the Chargers do need to figure out a way to get below the salary cap threshold before the start of the new league year as they are now just under $20 million over the cap.
