The Indianapolis Colts agreed to a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts very late on Monday night, and the move immediately upgraded a position that was in desperate need of such. Allen basically will be Michael Pittman Jr.'s replacement and should be an easy fit in the offense.
The move was initially reported by ESPN Colts reporter Stephen Holder. Holder has talked in recent weeks about how confused he was about Allen not already being on the Colts roster. Now, any concerns regarding the wideout coming to Indianapolis can be set aside.
For what seems like many months now, Allen has been projected to join Indy. Recently, that didn't appear to be on the verge of happening, as general manager Chris Ballard was hosting visits with other less talented wide receivers.
Indianapolis Colts finally make a needed move and sign Keenan Allen
To be sure, Allen won't have 1,500 receiving yards in 2026, but the team doesn't need him to. What Steichen needs is for Allen to acclimate to the team quickly and be a good WR3 after WR1 Alec Pierce and WR2 Josh Downs. The former of those should be no problem.
That is because Allen played under Steichen from 2016 through 2020, when both were with the Los Angeles Chargers. The receiver played with LA from 2013 through 2023, and after spending a season with the Chicago Bears, returned to the Chargers last season.
He is no longer an explosive receiver, but at 6'2" and 215 pounds, he can use his size to shield defenders from the ball and has turned that into a career catch rate of 68 percent. Instead of Pittman being the trusted wideout to pick up third downs, that role will now be played by Allen.
Keenan Allen might not get as many as 120 targets as he did in each of the last two years, after having 150 in 2023, but that shouldn't be necessary. More passes will be thrown to Alec Pierce, assuming he is healthy, after Pierce signed a massive new deal in free agency.
The new Indianapolis Colts receiver should help the longer-serving one, though. Using Pierce more on crossing patterns and check-downs will have to happen, but having Allen on the team will allow Pierce to do what he does best: blowing past defensive backs deep downfield and leading the NFL in yards per catch.
Ballard should also get credit for signing Allen, arguably the best player at his position left in free agency. The general manager addressed a glaring need and got a good player. Now, Allen needs to stay healthy and productive, and the Indy offense should reach the levels it did in the first half of last season.
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