Keenan Allen's future extension with the Chicago Bears might have to wait until after the 2024 season starts

The Chicago Bears will soon have to make a major decision with their newest offensive weapon in six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen.

Allen only has one year remaining on his 4 year, $80 million extension he signed with the Los Angeles Chargers back in 2020 and is scheduled to be a free agent after the season unless he signs a new deal with Chicago.

It's hard to invest that kind of money without first seeing the player in action with your team, but with a player like Allen, you should feel confident in his impact immediately.

That's exactly how the Bears were during the 2023 season after trading for and then quickly extending defensive end Montez Sweat. However, it sounds like things could be handled differently this time around according to the team's top executive.

"We're just going to keep it moving through the season and see how everything plays out," Bears general manager Ryan Poles said regarding Allen's extension while appearing on ESPN Chicago's Waddle and Silvy Show. "There isn’t a sense of urgency there right now but we'll see how everything unfolds as we get into the season."

During Poles' tenure as the team's general manager, the Bears didn't make any in-season extensions until he extended both Sweat and defensive tackle Andrew Billings back in November. Kicker Cairo Santos became the third player to join the short list after receiving a four year extension the following month.

Despite the willingness to hold up on ironing out an extension for Allen, Poles did mention that talks are going good and haven’t wavered the other way.

"We have a good relationship with his agent and have had some conversations that I'll keep private, but both sides are in a good spot," Poles added.

So far, Poles has done a terrific job managing the extensions with the players that fit the vision for the team's future and his latest move proved to be one of the best general manager moves of the offseason after agreeing to a four year deal with Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson.

Allen definitely seems like one of those players that should fit into the future plans for the Bears especially playing alongside a rookie quarterback, which is what led Poles toward trading for Allen in the first place.

"One is the dependability factor," Poles explained. "Being exactly where you are supposed to be at the right time. Two is the leadership/quarterback-friendly trait where he's going to really help a young quarterback understand what he's looking at and how to adjust to what the defense is doing. The communication, leadership, and overall wisdom is going to be key."

Allen is set to play with one of the best wide receiver trios in the entire league alongside DJ Moore and 2024 first round pick Rome Odunze. Each of the three players will offer a different dynamic to the offense than the others but Allen's overall impact to the team seems to be strongest of the three.

"Keenan Allen plays this game with an attitude that is different from what we've had before," Poles said. "He's got dog inside of him, he's highly competitive, he knows when the team needs energy and juice. That was a part of it too."

It's going to be interesting to see when this new deal gets done and what it could potentially look like financially for the 32-year-old wide receiver. One thing’s for sure, Allen will prove to be worth it once the season starts because his price will only go up.