With the Chargers set to be over the league’s salary cap, they will have to do some wheeling and dealing with some of their players this offseason to create space, whether it’s extending, trading, restructuring or releasing them.
Among the current highest-paid players who could be dealt to open up salary cap space is wide receiver Keenan Allen. Allen, however, hopes that he remains in Los Angeles.
“I don’t want to go nowhere else,” Allen said. “I’ve been here 10 years, like you said, the longest guy on the team, so I’m not looking forward to anything else.”
Allen is coming off the best season of his career before suffering a heel injury that kept him sidelined for the final four games of the season. In 13 games, he set the Chargers’ single-season record for receptions with 108 and amassed 1,243 yards, the second-most in his career.
Allen is due $18.1 million in the final year of his contract. Meanwhile, the Bolts are expected to be over $45 million over the projected $240.5 million salary cap in 2024.
If he happened to be traded, Allen said he would only play for a “select few” teams. Otherwise, he would retire.
“If it did come down to that, adios amigos,” Allen said. “I’ll get picked up in the offseason or right before the playoffs like them old heads be doing.”
