Keenan Allen’s time with the Chicago Bears was short-lived, but memorable. Allen caught 70 passes for 744 yards in 15 games with Chicago in 2024. He caught seven touchdowns and threw the most random interception you’ll ever see. But more than that, he provided a security blanket for Caleb Williams as a rookie quarterback and leadership for a team that needed it in the worst way.
And yet, despite his contributions, the 2024 Bears finished with a 5-12 record. So when the 2025 version of Chicago’s football team posted an 11-win season, earned its first postseason berth since 2020, won its first NFC North crown since 2018, and defeated the Green Bay Packers for its first playoff win in 15 years, it was a surprise to many football fans and observers. However, don’t count Keenan Allen as part of that group.
In an interview during Super Bowl Week, Keenan Allen was asked about what held the 2024 team back. And his answer should surprise no one:
Keenan Allen says he wasn't surprised by Caleb Williams' success this season.Why were they held back a year ago? I wonder what it could be? Cough, cough…coaching. @Bounty pic.twitter.com/d9WJ2E4NqT
— Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) February 5, 2026What an exchange!
Zach Gelb: “You being in Chicago for a year, I know Ben Johnson’s now there, had a very successful season. Caleb Williams was the quarterback, you were around him. Were you surprised by their success this year?”
Keenan Allen: “Absolutely not. When I was there, the team that we had had a lot of talent. Just thought we were kind of held back just by … I won’t get into it specifically…”
Gelb: “Coaching?”
Allen: “I won’t give the specifics, but we were kind of held back. The roster was definitely in a good place to where we could have did some things as they did this year. Definitely hats off to ’em, they did a great job.”
Remember when Bears captains had to push their offensive coordinator to coach them harder? Sigh. We’ve come a long way, folks.
Keenan Allen implies coaching held back Caleb Williams and the 2024 Chicago Bears
I love it when players say the quiet part loud, even though Keenan Allen didn’t say it at all. The mere implication that coaching held back Caleb Williams and the Bears in 2024 is all I needed. Then again, I didn’t necessarily need Allen’s confirmation — but it was nice to hear it framed this way by someone who was in the locker room.
It is easy to forget that the 2024 Bears should have been better than what they were because of the talent that was added going into that season. NFL analysts pegged Chicago’s football team to be competitive and around .500 with the potential to exceed expectations with some fortunate bounces went the Bears way. Instead, that team bottomed out in the worst way. Ultimately, that led to the changes that helped spark what we saw in 2025. I suppose that is a reminder of how valuable the right coach can be to the right team. It is also an example of how detrimental the wrong coach can be to a team.
What I find interesting is that a lot of the talent returned from the 2024 team were key pieces of a winning team in 2025. There were moments during training camp, the preseason, and after the first two games of the regular season in which I quietly wondered if there was too much Eberflus era stink hanging around the 2025 squad. But kudos to Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson for getting everyone on the same page and executing an epic turnaround. All is well that ends well, but I hate that they wasted a year of Caleb Williams’ development with a coaching staff that was clearly wasn’t prepared to handle a prospect of that caliber.
Former Bears WR Keenan Allen. © Daniel Bartel-Imagn ImagesTHE BN BEARS PODCAST: Apple | Spotify | YouTube
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