Today’s Hottest Take: The Greatest Chargers Wide Receiver of All Time

Honestly, this shouldn’t even be a hot take. Keenan Allen is the Greatest Wide Receiver to ever lace up a pair of cleats for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers. The all-time leader in receptions for the Chargers further solidified his place in Chargers lore when he took that record from Antonio Gates, and despite his low snap share, he once again proved that 3rd and Keenan isn’t just a nickname, as he led the entire NFL in 3rd down completions, proving to be still inevitable on the money down, even at age 33. Dread it, run from it, 3rd and Keenan arrive all the same.

I often think about how Allen came into the league, a third-round pick who fell drastically because of medical concerns, doubted for his “shaky athleticism”, only expected to see limited action behind vets like Malcolm Floyd and Eddie Royal, and a returning Vincent Brown. Then Malcolm Floyd went down, and all eyes were on the rookie, and in his first true opportunity, he rewarded the Chargers brass by immediately becoming Rivers favorite target, with 3 100-yard games in his first 5 starts on his way to leading the Chargers in yards and touchdowns and exploding in the playoff loss in Denver with 142 yards and 2 touchdowns, setting up for what we now know to be the greatest career a wide receiver has ever had with the Chargers, ecplising long time GOAT Lance Alworth and the late great Vincent Jackson in the process. Every NFL fan has “their guy”, and for many Charger fans around my age, Allen is their guy. Allen came in at the point where a lot of Charger fans were starting to witness a new era, and he helped usher in that new era. As his career has spanned multiple eras, it’s an honor to watch him take place in the era we see in front of us. At the end of the day, there will forever be a distinct difference in the Chargers before Allen and the Chargers after Allen.

What You Need to Know: An Immediate Icon

Being a franchise icon goes beyond the numbers; it’s also about the moments, and the one they call Slayer is no stranger to all-time moments. Immediately in Year #1 we were treated to The Hurdle in Denver, then in 2017 we saw the double move against New England in the playoffs against the Defensive Player of the Year in Stephon Gilmore, we saw grit when he lacerated his kidney catching a game-winner against Baltimore, I mean, I could go on and on, and I’m sure a couple Chargers fans are reading this right now yelling at me because I missed about 20 other moments I could have listed, but trust me, I remember them all. Even towards the tail end of his career, he’s creating moments like taking Ladd McConkey under his wing, scoring a touchdown in his first game back against Kansas City, and owning the NBA Celeb All-Star Game. Reasons like that are why you won’t find a Chargers fan without a #13 jersey in their closet.

For my 2 cents, Allen is the greatest route runner of my lifetime, it’s a science for the vet, and countless times, “3rd and Keenan” has shown that no matter how old, how banged up, and how good the man across from him is, if you decide to single cover #13 on 3rd down, you’ve lost.

Before You Go: Not Done Yet?

The GOAT isn’t done yet, if it’s up to him at least. Allen has made his intentions to return to not just football next year, but to do it in the powder blues. He already eclipsed the all-time receptions record on Sunday Night Football at home. Still, with one more season, #13 looks to overtake Antonio Gates for another all-time record, only needing 535 receiving yards to become the Bolts' all-time leading receiving yards leader. This record further cements “Slayer” as the greatest receiver ever to wear the powder blues. For reference, in every season Allen has played at least 8 games, he has never put up less than 725 yards, meaning a healthy season for the Cal product should lead to him further etching his name in the record books. After a 1-year detour to Chicago, the Chargers legend is back to rewrite the record books once again

At the end of the day, Allen wants a chance to call himself a Super Bowl Champion, something he firmly believes is possible in LA, which is one more reason why the GOAT is not done yet.