San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
WR ALLEN GETS EXTENSION
On the day NFL rosters shrank, the Chargers’ commitment to Keenan Allen expanded.
The team and its No. 1 wide receiver agreed Saturday on a four-year extension worth up to $80 million, $50 million of which is guaranteed.
Allen, 28, has made the Pro Bowl each of the last three seasons, a stretch during which he has caught 303 passes for 3,788 yards and 18 touchdowns.
He was unsigned beyond 2020, entering the final season of a four-year, $45 million deal signed in June 2016.
“I don’t think he gets a lot of recognition,” Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward said of Allen last month. “He should have made a couple All-pros, if you’re looking at the numbers and things like that.”
The annual average of Allen’s extension ($20 million) trails only Atlanta’s Julio Jones ($22 million) among NFL wide receivers.
The Chargers announced that Allen had signed his new contract about 90 minutes before submitting their list of roster cuts to reach the Nfl-mandated 53-player limit Saturday afternoon.
The most prominent among those released were offensive lineman Trent Scott and wide receiver Darius Jennings.
Scott started 10 games the last two years because of injuries to others after being undrafted out of Grambling State in 2018.
Jennings, who was entering his fourth season, signed a one-year deal with the Chargers in March.
He was expected to add speed and kickoff-return ability but ended up losing out to younger receivers Joe Reed, K.J. Hill, Jalen Guyton and Jason Moore.
The position is one of uncertainty for the Chargers before the Sept. 13 opener at Cincinnati. A shoulder injury has clouded the status of Mike Williams, a 1,000-yard receiver last season.
Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen on Thursday voiced optimism that Williams could be ready for Week 1 but nothing is certain.
The Chargers’ receiver group is headed by Allen, a third-round pick out of Cal in 2013, who had a 1,000-yard season as a rookie and then caught 77 passes his second year.
But a pair of significant injuries — a lacerated kidney and a torn knee ligament — limited him to nine games total in the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Since then, Allen has appeared in all 48 regular-season games the Chargers have played, establishing himself as one of the NFL’S most consistent offensive producers.
He has built his career on precise route-running, sure hands and a willingness to block.
Allen also has emerged in recent years as a walking tutorial for the Chargers’ other receivers.
“The way he dissects defenses, how smart he is,” said Reed, when asked what he has observed about Allen the last few weeks. “It’s very easy to learn from him.”
Reed was a fifth-round pick out of Virginia in April. Hill, a seventh-round pick from Ohio State, explained last week that he has “tried to stay on his hip” in regard to learning from Allen.
Roster cuts
In setting their initial 53man roster, the Chargers placed safety Derwin James on injured reserve. He recently underwent surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee, the team announcing last week that he should be ready for the start of the 2021 season.
The other Chargers who were released included several veterans: offensive linemen Ryan Groy and Cole Toner, running back Derrick Gore, linebacker Malik Jefferson, wide receiver Tyron Johnson and defensive back Quenton Meeks.
Several of the players released could be brought back today to the Chargers’ practice squad, which has been expanded this year.