Keenan Allen

BIOGRAPHY

Keenan Allen was born on April 27th, 1992, in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is a wide receiver in the NFL.

Allen attended Northern Guilford High School, where he played football, basketball, and ran track. In football, Allen was a standout on both sides of the ball for the Nighthawks. He was a 2009 high school All-American. He was selected by USA Today and Parade, and also played in U.S. Army All-American Bowl. In that game, he returned a punt and a kickoff, both for 33 yards. Allen was regarded as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com and Scout.com and was widely considered the top defensive back in the nation.

Allen committed to the University of California to play college football where he started at wide receiver for the California Golden Bears from 2010 to 2012. Throughout his career at Cal, Allen caught 205 passes for 2,570 yards and 17 receiving touchdowns. He also recorded two rushing touchdowns and one punt return.  Allen was named First-Team All Pac 12 in 2011. 

Keenan Allen was selected in the third round with the 76th overall pick by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2013 NFL Draft. The pick made him the highest selected wide receiver from Cal since DeSean Jackson in 2008. On October 6th, 2013, against the Oakland Raiders, Allen had his first 100-yard game as an NFL receiver.  He hauled in six receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown. In Week 14, Allen broke the franchise record for receptions in a rookie season surpassing LaDanian Tomlinson, with 61. He finished the season leading all NFL rookies with 71 receptions and led the team with 1,046 receiving yards which was also a franchise record.  He was named NFL Rookie of the Year by Sporting News and  Offensive Rookie of the Year. He became the second rookie in NFL history to gain 100 receiving yards and score two touchdowns in a playoff game. In 2017, he was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year and was ranked 41st by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players. He finished the season with 97 receptions for 1,196 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns. He continues to impress as a top NFL receiver and Philip River's favorite target.

In the 2018 season, Allen started off the season off with eight receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs. On November 4, against the Seattle Seahawks, he had six receptions for 124 yards. Following the Seahawks game, he went on a stretch of five consecutive games with a receiving touchdown. His best game in that stretch was a 14-catch, 148-yard game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Overall, he finished the 2018 season with 97 receptions for 1,196 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns. In the Wild Card Round, he had four receptions for 37 yards in the 23–17 win over the Baltimore Ravens. In the Divisional Round loss to the New England Patriots, he had two receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown.

In the 2019 season-opener against the Indianapolis Colts, Allen caught 8 passes for 123 yards and his first touchdown of the season in the 30–24 overtime win. Two weeks later against the Houston Texans, Allen caught 13 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns as the Chargers lost 27–20. He finished the season with a franchise record of 104 catches for 1,199 yards and six touchdowns.

On September 5, 2020, Allen signed a four-year, $80.1 million contract extension with the Chargers. In Week 3, he recorded 13 receptions for 132 receiving yards and one touchdown in the 21–16 loss to the Carolina Panthers. In Week 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had ten receptions for 125 yards in the 39–29 victory. In Week 9 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Allen recorded 9 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown during the 31–26 loss. In Week 11 against the New York Jets, Allen recorded 16 catches for 145 yards and a touchdown during the 34–28 win. He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Chargers on December 31, 2020, and activated on January 7, 2021.

Allen was traded to the Chicago Bears during the 2024 season.