Busy Chargers trade Allen, sign Dye; Rams add Jimmy G
From staff and wire reports
Keenan Allen said at the end of the Chargers’ disappointing 2023 season that he didn’t want to play anywhere else.
Fast forward to Thursday night, and the team’s longest-tenured player was traded to the Chicago Bears for a fourth-round pick.
Allen is going into the final season of a four-year extension he signed in 2020. The veteran wide receiver declined to take a pay cut or restructure his contract, according to a person familiar with the trade.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the person isn’t at liberty to publicly discuss personnel moves.
Allen’s salary cap number for the upcoming season is $34.7 million, including a $5 million roster bonus due on Sunday. He restructured his contract last season, with most of his base salary converted to a roster bonus to give the Chargers more flexibility.
“What Keenan Allen has meant to the Chargers for more than a decade cannot adequately be expressed through mere words,” Chargers President of Football Operations John Spanos said in a statement. “Keenan’s impact lives in the hearts of our fans, in the communities which he has served and amongst the countless teammates who have formed a brotherhood with him. There will only be one Keenan Allen, and we cannot thank him enough for the contributions he has made to our organization both on and off the field.”
The Chargers were $21 million over the salary cap before the start of free agency on Wednesday, and they responded with moves involving the top four players on their roster with the biggest salary cap numbers. They released wide receiver Mike Williams while linebackers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack agreed to restructure their contracts.
CHARGERS SIGN DYE >> The Chargers signed Troy
Dye, a linebacker and special teams player with the Minnesota Vikings for the past four seasons, to a one-year contract Friday, according to the NFL Network. Dye could challenge for a prominent role after several others departed earlier this week.
Dye, 27, a Norco High grad, has a connection with Chargers special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken, who held the same job with the Vikings after Minnesota drafted Dye in the fourth round in 2020. Dye also was teammates with Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert at the University of Oregon.
The Chargers must fill a void at the inside linebacker position after Kenneth Murray Jr. signed a two-year contract with Tennessee and his backup this past season, Amen Ogbongbemiga, signed with the Chicago.
RAMS ADD GAROPPOLO
>> The Rams found their safety net for quarterback Matthew Stafford on Friday, agreeing to terms with free agent Jimmy Garoppolo, a source confirmed.
The deal, reported by NFL Network to be for one year, brings the Rams’ former NFC West rival to Los Angeles to back up Stafford.
Garoppolo, 32, gives the Rams a backup quarterback with extensive starter experience. He played six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers under Kyle Shanahan. Given Shanahan and Rams head coach Sean Mcvay’s deep connections dating to their days together in Washington, this gives Garoppolo deep experience in Mcvay’s offense and should allow him to get up to speed quickly.
STEELERS TRADE PICKETT
>> Is trading quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles, multiple sources told The Associated Press. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was not official.
Pittsburgh will receive a third-round pick in this year’s NFL draft and two seventh-round choices in the 2025 draft in exchange for Pickett and Pittsburgh’s fourth-round pick this year.
The trade comes just hours after the Steelers signed nine-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson to a one-year deal to compete with Pickett for the starting job, though all signs appeared to be pointing to Wilson having the edge when the team reported for training camp at Saint Vincent College in July.
Wilson declined to say he expected to be the starter when asked during his introductory press conference on Friday and added he and Pickett had connected shortly after Wilson agreed to terms with the team, saying they were both focused on making the Steelers better.
AROUND THE NFL >> San Francisco found their help at linebacker, agreeing to a one-year deal with free agent De’vondre Campbell. The Niners were looking for help at linebacker with the status of Dre Greenlaw in question after he tore his Achilles tendon during the Super Bowl loss against Kansas City. They nearly finalized a deal with Eric Kendricks earlier this week only to have him sign with Dallas instead . ... Former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, 48, has joined the Browns as an analyst and personnel consultant . ... Minnesota Vikings acquired Houston’s firstround pick in a pre- draft trade Friday, giving them the 11th and 23rd overall selections as potential capital toward their next franchise quarterback. The Vikings sent their secondround pick and one of their sixth-round picks for this year and their second-round pick in 2025 to the Texans in exchange for the 23rd overall pick and a seventhrounder this year. The deal leaves Houston without a first-rounder, for now . ... Kansas City agreed to terms with wide receiver Marquise Brown . ... The Cowboys released linebacker Leighton Vander Esch and receiver Michael Gallup on Friday, cutting ties with two of their top three picks from the 2018 draft. Vander Esch was released with a failed physical designation after missing 12 games with a neck injury in 2023. The injury was the fourth since 2019 involving the 28-yearold’s neck and was considered career-threatening.