Shane Steichen gives Colts a great chance to acquire a specific star receiver
With Shane Steichen now the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, Indy has a good chance of adding a receiver Steichen previously coached.
Shane Steichen is now the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts and that means some players from his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles, could be following him to Indy. However, Philly isn’t the only team Steichen coached for. Prior to joining the Eagles, Steichen was the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Chargers also have some talented offensive players that Indy surely would welcome.
One player specifically that Steichen coached in Los Angeles that could become available this offseason is wide receiver, Keenan Allen. Allen will be entering his 11th season in the NFL and the third year of a four-year contract with the Chargers. With Los Angeles’ current cap space struggles, and Allen having a $21.7 million and a $25.8 million cap hit in 2023 and 2024 respectively, Keenan Allen could reportedly be a cap casualty this offseason.
If the Chargers do release Allen or work to trade him, the Colts make a lot of sense as a landing spot. Allen’s familiarity with Shane Steichen should make Indianapolis one of the top teams likely to land him.
Shane Steichen can help Colts land Keenan Allen
Steichen was the interim offensive coordinator for the Chargers in 2019 and was the official coordinator for them in 2020. In 2019, Keenan played in 16 games and caught 104 passes for 1,199 yards and six touchdowns. He followed that up with a 2020 season where he played in 14 games and caught 100 passes for 992 yards and eight touchdowns. In both seasons, Allen was selected for the Pro Bowl.
Allen is one of the best receivers in the NFL, though, and he has had success under multiple coordinators and can probably thrive in just about any system. However, he knows Steichen and already has a relationship with him, so it would make sense if he joined his former coach on the Indianapolis Colts. That’s what Indy’s fans are hoping for.
Before that could even happen, the Chargers must figure out if they’re actually going to move Keenan Allen or not. As previously stated, he’s one of the best receivers in the league, and Los Angeles would certainly prefer that he remains there. However, if the Chargers are unable to figure out any other cap space gymnastics that allow them to keep Allen, and they ultimately release him, Steichen should be leading the charge for the Colts to sign Allen.
