Chargers Aren't Shutting Door on Franchise Legend's Return in Free Agency

The Los Angeles Chargers have moved surprisingly slowly at the wide receiver position this offseason after adding Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator.

Part of this perception is simply how hard it is to get a read on what Mike McDaniel wants from his wideout room in his new scheme for Justin Herbert. The Chargers have adamantly pushed back on Quentin Johnston trade rumors, for example.

But they also have sophomores Tre Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith to think about in the equation alongside the likes of Johnston and Ladd McConkey.

This outlook makes it pretty tough to figure out what the Chargers might want to do with a franchise legend like Keenan Allen.

Chargers explain NFL free agency outlook with Keenan Allen

Allen is currently a free agent. He made it clear back in February that he intends to return to the Chargers.

The Chargers and general manager Joe Hortiz are certainly keeping the door open about a reunion once more.

"We got the draft," Hortiz said when asked about Allen, according to The Athletic's Daniel Popper. "We'll go through the draft, see how it is and then see what happens out of the draft and then continue discussions. There are a number of guys out there that are still available, so I wouldn't say the room is complete."

One can connect the dots here. The Chargers probably aren't likely to use one of their mere five picks on a wideout, given KLS and Harris. That's especially with Allen waiting around in free agency.

No word on if and how Allen would technically "fit" McDaniel's scheme. But his sheer veteran presence to help along the younger guys should have the Chargers interested in a reunion.

Allen really bailed the Chargers out last year despite the whole traded-you-away thing, too. He led the team in targets with 122, catching 81 of those for 777 yards and four scores. That, after showing up late in the process after Mike Williams' surprise retirement.

At this point, with Allen going into his age-34 season, it feels easy enough to project he re-signs with the Chargers on a veteran deal roughly in the $5 million range after incentives. But it didn't make sense for either part to rush into a contract before seeing how things shake out in the draft for the Chargers and 31 other teams too, just in case.

Sign Up For the Chargers Daily Digest - OnSI's Free Los Angeles Chargers Newsletter

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/chargers/onsi as Chargers Aren't Shutting Door on Franchise Legend's Return in Free Agency.

Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 6:00 PM.