Bears' Allen aiming 'to play as long as I can,' open to extension

Keenan Allen is entering the home stretch of his NFL career but, after receiving a fresh start with the Chicago Bears, the receiver is looking forward to many more years on the field and potentially a new contract.

"I'm going to play as long as I can," Allen said Tuesday, according to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. "As far as an extension, I'm going to let the play speak for itself, and if they offer me something that I like, we'll go from there."

Allen will be part of a potentially lethal three-headed receiver threat for Chicago alongside D.J. Moore and rookie Rome Odunze.

The 32-year-old is the elder statesman of the group. Acquired in a March trade, Allen, who spent 11 years with the Los Angeles Chargers, boasts 904 career catches, 10,530 yards, and six Pro Bowl nominations.

Allen also knows how to work with a young quarterback, as he caught passes from Justin Herbert over his final four seasons with the Chargers. Bears coach Matt Eberflus believes the veteran wideout will be an invaluable safety net for No. 1 pick Caleb Williams in his rookie campaign.

"He understands his body and understands his way," Eberflus said. "He's really friendly to the quarterback because he's a really big target and he's very good at what he does."

Last season, Allen produced his best campaign since a career year in 2017: He finished with 108 catches for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns despite missing four games due to injury.