Teams are apparently still willing to dole out cold hard cash amid the current economic anxiety around the NFL.
Mere hours after the Houston Texans inked star quarterback Deshaun Watson to a huge extension, the conference rival Los Angeles Chargers are taking care of some business.
Chargers sign Keenan Allen to massive extension
According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the deal is worth more than $80 million over four seasons. It makes him the second highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL behind Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons.
Allen, 28, is definitely worth the money. He’s beem among the most productive (and underrated) receivers in the game over the past few years. Since the start of the 2017 campaign, the California product has averaged 101 receptions for nearly 1,300 yards per season.
He was Philip Rivers’ go-to guy before the quarterback left Los Angeles in free agency and will be relied on a lot by current starter Tyrod Taylor.
This is just the latest example of elite pass catchers getting paid big time to produce.
NFL wide receiver contracts are growing big time
- Julio Jones: Three-years, $66 million
- Amari Cooper: Five-years, $100 million
- Michael Thomas: Five-years, $96.25 million
- Odell Beckham Jr.: Five-years, $90 million
As for the Chargers, this comes after they made Joey Bosa the highest-paid defensive player in the history of the NFL. It’s rather obvious that they are confident that this current iteration of the team can contend with the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West moving forward.