A one-year deal, agreed overnight
The Indianapolis Colts have agreed to terms with Keenan Allen on a one-year contract that can pay him more than $8 million, according to multiple reports published a few hours ago. Allen turned 34 in April and arrives as the most decorated receiver on a roster that has been thinning out since March.
That is when Indianapolis traded Michael Pittman Jr. to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Alec Pierce, who led the NFL in yards per catch in each of the past two seasons and signed a long-term extension in the offseason, has yet to practice in training camp while recovering from ankle surgery. His availability for Week 1 remains unclear.
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What Allen still brings
Allen entered the league as a third-round pick out of Cal in 2013 and spent 11 seasons with the Chargers before a trade sent him to Chicago in March 2024. He returned to Los Angeles last season and played all 17 games, catching 81 passes for 777 yards and four touchdowns.
The volume held up. The explosiveness did not. His 9.6 yards per reception marked a career low, which tells you exactly how Indianapolis plans to use him. With Pierce and Josh Downs handling the vertical work, Allen slots in as a possession target who moves the chains and gives a young quarterback somewhere reliable to look.
The career numbers still carry weight. Allen has 1,055 receptions, 12,051 receiving yards and 70 touchdowns across 13 seasons, with six Pro Bowl selections. He owns the Chargers franchise record for catches with 985. His 11,307 yards for the club sit second behind Antonio Gates, and his 63 receiving scores rank third behind Gates and Lance Alworth. Both of those men are in the Hall of Fame.
The Colts know how this goes wrong
Indianapolis has recent experience of patching a hole with a veteran name. Last December the team signed Philip Rivers, then 44 and five years retired, to start the final three games of the season after injuries wiped out the quarterback room. The Colts lost all three and finished on a seven-game losing streak.
Allen is a different proposition, still playing and still productive twelve months ago. Whether he raises the ceiling of this offense or simply keeps it upright until Pierce returns is the question Indianapolis will answer in September.
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