A late pick for a proven pass catcher
San Francisco went shopping on deadline day and came back with Keenan Allen. The Indianapolis Colts are sending the veteran receiver west in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick, according to a report from The Ringer published a few hours ago, ahead of Tuesday’s trade cutoff.
For Indianapolis, the logic is simple. At 2-7, the season is drifting, and Allen arrived in August on a one-year deal worth up to $8.32 million. A rental only makes sense when you are chasing something. The Colts are not.
His numbers in blue were modest: 40 receptions, 351 yards and a single touchdown across eight games, only four of them as a starter.
no renewal
Free for 2 weeks.
Why the 49ers made the call
The 49ers sit at 7-1, and their receiver room has been gutted. Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Christian Kirk and Demarcus Robinson have all been dealing with injuries. The proof is in the target share: tight end George Kittle leads the team with 38 catches, with running back Christian McCaffrey right behind on 36.
That is a passing game leaning on everyone except its wideouts. Allen gives Kyle Shanahan a reliable route runner who can slot in immediately without needing a long learning curve.
The résumé at 34
Allen is no longer the volume machine he was in his prime, but the body of work speaks for itself. He put together five 1,000-yard seasons with the Chargers between 2017 and 2023, then spent 2024 in Chicago before a return to the Chargers in 2025 and the short stop in Indianapolis.
Since San Diego took him in the third round in 2013, he has piled up 1,095 catches, 12,402 yards and 71 touchdowns in 179 games. He was also the league’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2017. San Francisco is not asking him to carry the offence. It just needs him to catch what comes his way until the injured names return.
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