Who Should I Start? Keenan Allen or George Pickens

Monday, March 25, 2:51 PM

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles said he thinks a long-term contract extension will come "down the road" for new wide receiver Keenan Allen, who is entering the final year of a four-year deal in 2024. "I try to be intentional with the order that we do extensions, so we'll review that and kind of see what our order looks like. But for what he stands for, I would love to have him long term," Poles said. The Bears might look to lock up DJ Moore first, but Chicago wants to keep their one-two punch of Moore and Allen around in the Windy City long term for USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who the Bears are expected to take first overall in the upcoming NFL draft. Despite missing the last four games in 2023 with an injury, Allen had a career-high 108 catches for 1,243 yards and seven TDs in 13 games for the Bolts. However, his numbers could come down in his first year in Chicago while sharing the load with Moore with a rookie QB likely running the offense.

Sunday, April 7, 9:36 PM

According to Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth, he recently got together with new quarterback Russell Wilson in San Diego for throwing drills. Also in attendance were Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson, who signed with the Steelers a few weeks ago. Interestingly enough, wideout George Pickens reportedly skipped out on participating with the group. Although a reason hasn't been revealed, it's something to monitor ahead of offseason workouts and moving toward training camp. However, with Wilson looking to bounce back from an unproductive year, not having his No. 1 wideout join him for voluntary drills isn't ideal. It also isn't a good look for Pickens, who fell below expectations throughout the 2023-24 campaign.