March 3, 2026, 11:16 a.m. CT

NFL free agency is nearly upon us, with only a few more days separating the league from being able to negotiate with free agents in the legal tampering period. With that, the New Orleans Saints will have some work to do, both when it comes to their own players being retained and bringing in some new talent to facilitate growth in their roster. While the wide receiver free agent list is somewhat short, one name pops out for the Saints, that being Keenan Allen.

One of the biggest needs for the franchise moving forward is wide receiver talent to play alongside the current young group. Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele, and Ja’Lynn Polk all bring something to this room, but at the same time, there is a distinct lack of options that have proven success in their NFL careers.

Adding a veteran to the wide receiver corps would be not only a good use of cap space, but also maybe a necessity, someone like Keenan Allen.

What are the odds that Allen reaches free agency?

Currently it is a pretty split perspective on whether or not Allen will actually reach free agency, and if he does, whether he will just re-sign with the Los Angeles Chargers or decide to leave instead. In a recent article from Kris Rhim of ESPN, Allen was quoted discussing the Chargers’ playoff loss and his perspective on a potential return.

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“It was super painful. For me personally, just having nightmares about basically that one fourth down on the goal line — just not coming down with that catch. I definitely don’t want that to be my last play as a Charger.”

“Until [a deal for next season gets] done and that’s squared away, that’s just going to keep building the chip on my shoulder.” 

This makes it sound as though Allen does wish to return to Los Angeles for 2026, but that being said, it does come down to both sides being able to make the deal work, and if an opportunity arose for him to get more reps, he may take that.

What is the expected contract valuation for Allen?

According to the Spotrac projected market value for Allen, he would be likely to receive a 1 year deal worth $6,815,497, with their base calculated value having the projection set at 1 year, $7,051,000. When it comes to getting a skills position player who has been consistently productive despite getting different levels of snaps over the years, this is about as cheap as you can get for a one-year deal.

Should the Saints be in on Allen?

If Allen decides to leave the Chargers this spring or they are unable to retain him, the Saints should absolutely take a look at bringing him in. Even if they were to draft a wide receiver, having a group of that rookie, Olave, Vele, and Allen, along with the other younger depth pieces, would give Kellen Moore plenty of different packages to work with on offense, providing him the opportunity to give Tyler Shough a more developed offensive scheme.

The more talent that can be brought in to support the second-year quarterback, the better, and Allen would not only bring that, but also his previous experience with Moore, and a wealth of knowledge to share with this young offensive core.