Is Keenan Allen one of the most underrated players in NFL history?
It was a great night for Keenan Allen yet again, as he entered the 10,000+ receiving yards club, becoming the second Los Angeles Chargers player to pick up that many yards. People have no choice but to respect and acknowledge the quality of the wide receiver after his awesome start to the 2023 season.
Keenan Allen is seventh in yards after this season (720). As Allen has made 62 catches, he's clearly Justin Herbert's safety blank. The one-handed catch on Sunday night was a blockbuster play to break 10,000, Allen even signed the ball he caught. Just a few weeks ago in the Chargers win over the Minnesota Vikings, Keenan Allen had caught 18 passes for 215 yards.
You will be hard-pressed to find someone who will put Allen in the discussion of the best WRs of the last decade. It's quite a story, as Allen finished second in OROTY voting in 2013 when he put up over 1,000+ yards.
He only played one game in 2016. By the time he came back, the Chargers were playing in Los Angeles, Keenan Allen went on to win the Comeback Player of the Year.
Five career seasons with 1,000+ yards could soon become six if Allen can stay healthy. He has a good chance to better 2017, the best year of his career. Many wide receivers become a shell of themselves after their 30th birthday, but not Allen. More people need to start respecting Allen.
Keenan Allen has a good shot at the franchise yardage record
No one will shocked to find out that Antonio Gates (11,841) is the Chargers' all-time leader in receiving yards.
Gates is surely a soon-to-be NFL Hall of Fame, but his team record is in serious doubt. Allen's 10,007 yards is in reach if Allen can remain strong in the second half of the season and the next,
Allen will become a free agent in 2025. Now that's he in his 30s, it's difficult to say if the Chargers will be willing to bring him back. However, the receiver could walk out the door as the Los Angeles Chargers all-time leader in receiving yards, booking his place among the all-time great Chargers players.
Justin Herbert and Keenan Allen have always been a good tandem and are expected to continue being rock-solid.