The Chargers likewise left Allen open last season, waiting until August to reunite him on a one-year deal after his one-year hiatus with the Bears. Allen returned to the place he spent his first 11 NFL seasons and led the team with 81 receptions, which he turned into 777 yards and four touchdowns.
A second trip to the Super Bowl would make sense given his production, but Allen, now 34, faded as a result early in the season. After eclipsing 60 yards and a TD in each of his first three games with Los Angeles, he hit the 60-yard mark just one more time the rest of the way, in the same game for his only score through Week 3.
The entire WR corps in LA was in a hot and cold mood, characteristic of a talented room led by Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston. With Allen back in town, McConkey’s numbers dipped from his stellar first year. Tre Harris, a 2025 sophomore, and KeAndre Lambert-Smith, a fifth-round pick who became a preseason darling, never found their footing.
As Hortiz pointed out, youngsters like Harris and Lambert-Smith can use the current phase of the offseason program to further establish themselves in the business. The same goes for April’s fourth-rounder Brenen Thompson, whose speed Kay Adams described as “significant” for Hortiz.
Therefore, there is no rush to get a veteran like Allen on the field and take a sense of maturity from others. He knows how to prepare for the season.
A more pressing issue — assuming the Bolts eventually decide to seriously pursue Allen — would be keeping him away from other teams.
After Adams brought up the possibility of Allen joining the hated Chiefs, Hortiz made it clear the organization had no desire to “see him in the red.”
As for whether he will take back the powder blues, the wait continues.