Keenan Allen has signed a one-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts worth up to $8.32 million, NFL.com reported. The agreement was first reported late Monday night by ESPN, and the Colts announced it Wednesday. Allen will play his 14th NFL season in a uniform he has never worn.
What Indianapolis needed
The Colts went into the week thin at wide receiver. Alec Pierce is still recovering from ankle surgery he underwent in the spring, and Michael Pittman Jr., who had been the team's volume target, was traded to the Steelers in March. That left Josh Downs as the clear starter alongside Ashton Dulin and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
Allen caught 81 passes for 777 yards and four touchdowns in 2025, a full workload in his age-33 season, and he has spent most of his career operating out of the slot.
The Steichen connection
The pairing is not a cold introduction. Colts head coach Shane Steichen was on the Chargers staff from 2014 through 2020, serving as offensive coordinator in 2020 — Allen's most productive stretch in Los Angeles.
There is a second familiar face in the building. Colts receivers coach Reggie Wayne finished his career with 1,070 receptions. Allen sits at 1,055, meaning he will chase down his own position coach on the all-time list roughly 15 catches into the season.
Where the career stands
Allen has played 171 games. His 1,055 receptions rank 13th all-time, his 12,051 receiving yards rank 33rd, and his 70 touchdown catches rank 52nd. He is a six-time Pro Bowl selection, drafted in the third round by the Chargers in 2013, and he spent 12 of his first 13 seasons with that franchise. He is not the only veteran pass-catcher or rusher to find a one-year deal this week — Von Miller agreed to a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Cowboys days earlier.
The one break came in 2024, when Los Angeles traded him to Chicago after a contract standoff. He returned the following summer, and Uristocrat covered that one-year deal to come back to the Chargers. The 2025 season played out under a reshaped Los Angeles offense — the Chargers had hired Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator — and the franchise has since committed long-term elsewhere on the roster, including Derwin James' three-year, $75.6 million extension.
Source: NFL.com
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