AP source: Bears acquiring longtime Chargers WR Allen for draft pick
The Chicago Bears are acquiring wide receiver Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers for a fourth-round pick.
Two people familiar with the decision confirmed the move to The Associated Press on Thursday night on condition of anonymity because the trade hasn’t been announced.
Allen has spent his entire 11-year career with the Chargers and was the longest-tenured player on the roster. The six-time Pro Bowl selection also had a salary cap number of $34.7 million with a $5 million roster bonus due on Sunday.
Allen was leading the NFL in receptions through Week 14 last season, but he missed the final four games due to an ankle injury. He finished sixth with 108 receptions and 11th in yards with 1,243.
n CHIEFS: The Kansas City Chiefs and Marquise Brown have agreed on a one-year deal that could be worth up to $11 million, a person familiar with the contract told The Associated Press on Thursday night.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract had not been signed.
Brown’s best season came three years ago for Baltimore, when he caught 91 passes for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns. He was traded to Arizona the following year, where he caught 118 passes for 1,283 yards and seven TDs in 26 games.
His biggest problem has been staying healthy. He dealt with a heel problem last year and last played a full season in 2020.
n JAGUARS: Arik Armstead’s unemployment lasted roughly a day.
The Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to terms with the former San Francisco defensive tackle on a three-year, $51 million contract Thursday, a person with knowledge of the decision said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither side had announced the move.
The 49ers released Armstead to create salary cap space when the new league year began Wednesday. He will now switch coasts and reunite with Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke, who drafted Armstead with the 17th overall pick in 2015.
Armstead had five sacks in 12 games in the regular season in 2023 and added one more in the playoffs. He has 33 1/2 sacks in 116 games in the regular season, and his eight career sacks in the postseason are the second most in Niners history.
n FALCONS-CARDINALS TRADE: The Atlanta Falcons quickly moved on from Desmond Ridder, trading their former starting quarterback to the Arizona Cardinals for receiver Rondale Moore on Thursday.
The dumping of Ridder was no surprise after the Falcons made a big splash in free agency by signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract that includes $100 million in guaranteed money.
A third-round pick in 2022, Ridder had no future in Atlanta after failing to hold the starting job last season. His tenure with the Falcons ended with a 8-9 record over 17 starts.
Ridder will now serve as a backup to Kyler Murray with the Cardinals. Moore gives Cousins another playmaker at receiver. A second-round pick from Purdue in 2021, Moore will be looking to revive his career after a promising start. The 5-foot-7 player had 54 receptions for 435 yards as a rookie, but he hasn’t matched those numbers over the past two seasons.
n NFL TAMPERING: The NFL is reviewing whether the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles violated tampering policies during the legal tampering window, a league spokesman said Thursday.
The Falcons agreed to a contract with four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins shortly after teams were permitted to start negotiating with unrestricted free agents on Monday.
The Eagles quickly struck a deal with two-time Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley soon after the negotiation period opened at 12 p.m. EDT.
Penn State coach James Franklin told a reporter that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman spoke to Barkley and pitched him on the connection between the Eagles and Nittany Lions fan bases.
Teams are permitted to talk directly with agents during the 52-hour negotiating window, but can’t speak to the player unless he has no agent and represents himself.
The Eagles have denied the claims and Barkley said Franklin misinterpreted their conversation.
“That was through my agent and my agent told me that,” Barkley said.
In Atlanta’s case, Cousins said Wednesday: “There’s great people here. And it’s not just the football team. I mean, I’m looking at the support staff. Meeting — calling, yesterday, calling our head athletic trainer, talking to our head of PR I’m thinking, we got good people here. And that’s exciting to be a part of.”
Cousins wasn’t permitted to speak to anyone before 4 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.
“Due to the NFL’s review, we are unable to provide information or have additional comment,” the Falcons said in a statement.