With the Chargers set to be over the league’s salary cap, they will have to do some wheeling and dealing with some of their players this offseason to clear up space, whether it’s extending, trading, restructuring or releasing them.
Among the current highest-paid players who could be dealt to open up salary cap space is wide receiver Keenan Allen, who has a cap hit of $34.7 million.
Allen, however, believes that he will remain in Los Angeles.
“Yeah. Absolutely,” Allen told NFL Media’s Cam Wolfe at the Pro Bowl Games when asked if he expected to be with the Chargers next season.
“I don’t see myself going anywhere,” he added.
Allen is coming off the best season of his career before suffering a heel injury that kept him sidelined for the final four games of the season.
In 13 games, he set the Chargers’ single-season record for receptions with 108 and amassed 1,243 yards, the second-most in his career. Allen also had seven touchdowns.
Jim Harbaugh was introduced as the Chargers’ new head coach on Thursday, and he mentioned Allen when asked about the players that attracted him.
“He’s been watching for a long time, and we actually played against each other: Stanford-Cal,” Allen said about Harbaugh. “He just wants me to continue to be a leader. Continue to be who I am. And he’s going to do his job.”
Coming off a 5-12 season, Allen knows better days are ahead for the Bolts.
“We’re going to continue to compete,” Allen said. “Do what we do and put some better results out there.”