Keenan Allen has spent his entire NFL career answering the same question nobody can quite figure out: how does he keep getting open when he’s not particularly fast or strong compared to other elite receivers? The Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 211 pounds, possessing neither the blazing speed of Tyreek Hill nor the overwhelming physical dominance of DK Metcalf. Yet here he is at age 33, leading the Chargers in receptions with 50 catches and ranking second in receiving yards with 520 through nine games this season.
The concerns about Allen’s physical limitations date back to the 2013 NFL draft process. Despite being considered the top receiver prospect by many analysts and holding the University of California school record for receptions with 205, Allen ran a pedestrian 4.71-second 40-yard dash at his pro day. That time came well behind Marquise Goodwin’s combine-leading 4.27, and combined with a season-ending PCL injury from his final college season, those concerns dropped Allen to the third round where the Chargers selected him with the 76th overall pick.
Thirteen seasons, six Pro Bowls, and numerous NFL records later, many remain fascinated by Allen’s continued productivity. Wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal, who was with the Jets during Allen’s draft year, remembers the collective puzzlement about how someone so productive in college could succeed in the NFL with such middling physical traits. Allen still holds Cal’s receptions record and ranks third in yards with 2,570, yet scouts questioned whether his game would translate to professional football.
The secret nobody can quite replicate
Cooper Kupp, himself an elite route-runner for the Seahawks, praised Allen’s ability to snap down and get open on routes that shouldn’t work. Allen would run hitch routes against press coverage and create separation even when defenses knew he’d never throw a go ball deep. That kind of technical mastery compensates for whatever Allen lacks in straight-line speed or raw athleticism.
Allen himself dismisses comparisons to receivers who’ve declined at his age, arguing it doesn’t make sense because he never relied on elite physical traits in the first place. He doesn’t have a step to lose because elite speed was never part of his game. Allen can run at full speed and still stop on a dime precisely because his full speed isn’t comparable to the league’s fastest players. That limitation becomes an advantage when paired with exceptional footwork and route-running precision.
Sunday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Allen needs just two catches to break Antonio Gates’ franchise record for career receptions. That milestone adds another accomplishment to a career built on consistently proving doubters wrong about what’s possible without elite measurables.
The contract saga that sent him away
Allen’s continued production adds to the confusion that’s defined his career trajectory. After what he called the best season of his career in 2023 finishing sixth in the NFL with 108 receptions and 11th with 1,243 yards despite playing just 13 games the Chargers faced brutal salary cap constraints. Allen’s $34.7 million cap hit made him a prime candidate for restructuring, but when the two sides couldn’t agree on an adjusted contract, Los Angeles traded him to Chicago for a fourth-round pick.
Allen joined a Bears team laden with hope after selecting Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick. He was expected to help create one of the league’s best offenses. Instead, Chicago finished 5-12, last in the NFC North, and Allen’s production dropped to 744 yards and seven touchdowns. He called the season up and down, acknowledging Williams had to learn the offense, the NFL, and how things operated at the professional level.
For the first time since college, Allen lived alone. His wife and four children stayed in Los Angeles while he occupied a three-bedroom house in Chicago. He described it as tough and quiet, essentially playing the game by himself without his family’s daily presence.
The return nobody expected
The Chargers used the pick from Allen’s trade to move up and select Ladd McConkey, who broke many of Allen’s rookie receiving records. After Chicago didn’t extend him, Allen hit free agency expecting significant interest. Instead, he felt downplayed by the market, ultimately returning to the Chargers on a one-year deal worth just $3.02 million—dramatically less than both his previous contract and what Los Angeles had offered him the year before.
Allen said at his first news conference back with the Chargers that he felt he got downplayed in free agency, putting a chip on his shoulder. He appreciated the motivation but resented getting it so cheaply. Looking around the league at receivers signing deals, Allen felt he’d performed better than most of them, suggesting age bias played a role in his limited market.
The perceived disrespect has fueled his performance this season. In Week 5, Allen became the fastest receiver in NFL history to reach 1,000 career catches. He’s earned the nickname “third-and-Keenan” from safety Derwin James Jr. for his reliability on money downs, leading the NFL in targets, receptions, and first downs on third down.
Teammate Quentin Johnston remains amazed by Allen’s ability to create separation, claiming he’s seen him cook defenders during walk-throughs. Lal compared Allen’s explosive route-running to Amari Cooper’s ability to cover significant distance with each step, noting that while Allen’s explosiveness doesn’t show up on film, it’s evident when coaching him up close. The twitch and power going into each move is elite, even if the 40-yard dash time never suggested it.
Twelve years after Lal first asked how Allen does it, he’s still searching for a complete answer.
