Jets had Keenan Allen trade conversation before Chargers sent receiver to Bears

The Jets at least had a conversation about trading for Keenen Allen before the Chargers eventually shipped him to the Bears.

The 31-year-old wide receiver said during his introductory press conference in Chicago on Saturday that he was on the phone with his agent Joby Branion on Thursday when the possibility of being traded to the Bears arose, according to ESPN.

To that point, there were only two other interested teams the Chargers were allowing him to explore a trade with — the Jets and the Texans — but the Bears offering a fourth-round pick pushed the deal to the finish line. 

It appears any trade talks with the Jets, who need another top receiver to pair with Garrett Wilson, did not get too far.

The Athletic reported that the discussion with the Jets was just a conversation with no serious offer made, while the Texans were close to landing Allen.

The six-time Pro Bower was ultimately traded for just the fourth-round pick (No. 110 overall) to create salary cap room for Los Angeles.

He would have held a $34.71 million 2024 cap hit against the Chargers.

He gives whoever is under center for Chicago — potentially USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 selection in the draft — a veteran target as they figure out Justin Fields’ future. 

Allen is coming off one of his best seasons with 1,243 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

The Jets still need to add a receiver and could also do so by taking one in the draft.

Several veteran wideouts have been taken off the board, such as Mike Evans re-signing with the Buccaneers and Marquise Brown going to the Chiefs.