The Atlanta Falcons played a major gamble last year with the quarterback position. After signing Kirk Cousins to a massive deal, they drafted Michael Penix Jr. in the first round. By the end of the year, their experiment was over, and Penix Jr. had taken over the starting role.
He’s entering the 2025 season as the QB1, and the expectations for Atlanta are high. After showing some promise in the waning moments of the 2024 season, expectations are high for the Falcons and Penix Jr. However, one analyst believes the second-year signal-caller could use a boost in the form of a veteran wide receiver.
Could the Atlanta Falcons Target Keenan Allen?
Penix Jr. made it clear that the talent was there in his three games as a starter last year. Tallying three touchdowns against three interceptions, he led the team to a 1-2 record, including a blockbuster week 18 performance where he threw for 312 yards.
However, for the top-10 offense (per PFSN’s Offense+ metric) to maintain its standard, he will need the right pieces around him. Last year, the wide receiver duo of Drake London (1,271) and Darnell Mooney (992) was effective.
However, the group falls short beyond those two, with Ray-Ray McCloud III, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson rounding out their next three most productive pass catchers. As a result, Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated wants them to add some insurance.
In his list of best fits for the remaining unsigned free agents, Manzano linked the Falcons to Keenan Allen. A six-time Pro Bowler with a wealth of experience, Allen remains unsigned after a down year with the Chicago Bears.
Posting just 744 yards and seven touchdowns, it was a dramatic fall-off from his production with the Los Angeles Chargers. In seasons where he played in 13 or more games with the franchise, Allen surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in six of his eight years.
Late night reminder that Keenan Allen is still a Free Agent 🤷♂️
pic.twitter.com/eSHGp5oLtH— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) June 8, 2025
As a result, Manzano believed, “Allen’s production slightly declined in his lone season with the Chicago Bears, but some of that should be attributed to Caleb Williams getting very little time to operate behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL.”
Manzano added, “Allen, 33, could help Michael Penix Jr. and Drake London in Atlanta.” With Pitts not delivering on the promise that made him the highest drafted tight end in NFL history as the fourth overall pick in 2021, the Falcons need more reliable weapons around Penix Jr.
That is the role Allen can fit to a tee.