Keenan Allen spent three years in the Bay Area when he played at Cal, which prompted a question Wednesday to the San Francisco 49ers‘ newly acquired wide receiver: Did he ever attend any 49ers games when he was in college?
Allen, 34, reminded his questioner that he played for the Golden Bears during a quainter era.
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“There was no NIL back then,” Allen said, “so I didn’t have any money for that.”
Allen was smiling broadly. And he beamed throughout his introductory eight-minute meeting with reporters at his locker that didn’t yet have a nameplate. Allen was running on fumes a day after he was traded from the Colts to the 49ers, took a flight that landed in the Bay Area at 11:30 p.m. and was at 49ers’ facility for a physical at 5:45 a.m.
But fatigue was no match for the feelings he has had since he went from a 2-7 fire-sale team to an on-fire, one-loss team. From super bad to, maybe, the 14-year veteran’s first Super Bowl? Who needs sleep?
“I’m running on this pure, pure energy right now,” Allen said. “I’m 7-1.”
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Seven years after a deadline trade that netted Pro Bowl wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who helped lead them to a Super Bowl, the 49ers are hoping for the same storyline to unfold.
The 49ers traded a 2027 sixth-round pick for Allen, a six-time Pro Bowl selection who ranks eighth in NFL history in receptions because head coach Kyle Shanahan agrees with Allen’s assessment that he’s “got a lot of juice left.” Allen is averaging a career-low 8.8 yards a catch this season, but his 40 receptions (for 351 yards) rank 21st in the NFL.
“It was cool to turn on his tape, watch him at Indy and still see the same guy,” Shanahan said. “So we were pumped to get him.”
That said, the 49ers had a chance to get Allen this summer before he signed with the Colts on Aug. 19. Allen told reporters he spoke with the 49ers – presumably before they signed wideout Deebo Samuel on Aug. 1 – but a deal didn’t materialize.
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The 49ers probably preferred Samuel because he had extensive experience in Shanahan’s intricate offense. It’s also why they unsuccessfully tried to trade for Vikings wide receiver Jauan Jennings last month before pursuing Allen. Samuel had previously spent six seasons with the 49ers. Jennings logged six years with the franchise before he signed with Minnesota in May.
How quickly can Allen pick up Shanahan’s system? Shanahan said Allen’s head was “probably spinning” Wednesday. Allen didn’t disagree. He has played for Colts, Bears and Chargers during his 179-game career, but has never been part of a Shanahan-influenced offense. Allen explained that the concepts were familiar, but the verbiage was a foreign language.
“I’m just going to have to kind of flip everything in the brain,” Allen said, “and learn a new terminology.”
How hard might that be? Offered Samuel: “I ain’t going to lie, this s- is tough.”
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“My rookie year, I’d say it probably took me about eight nine weeks to really be comfortable in the offense,” Samuel said. “But, honestly, some people are picking it up faster than others, so we’ll just see how it goes.”
The 49ers added Allen with wideout Mike Evans, another six-time Pro Bowl selection, dealing with Achilles tendinitis that has sidelined him since he was forced to exit a win against the Commanders on Oct. 19. Asked about Evans’ timeline, Shanahan said it’s “week to week,” suggesting a return isn’t imminent. Shanahan maintained the 49ers would have traded for Allen regardless of Evans’ health.
“It wouldn’t have changed anything, with trying to add another guy,” Shanahan said.
Allen was asked Wednesday about his social-media squabble with Evans. In 2020, Allen took exception to his No. 77 ranking on the league’s top 100 players list on NFL Network. Allen tagged Evans (No. 30), Chris Godwin (No. 38) and Tyreek Hill (No. 22), saying they were not better than he was. Responded Evans: “I like the confidence but be realistic you not on my level bro.”
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“We squashed it a long time ago,” Allen said. “Everybody wants to bring it back up, obviously. But Mike’s a hell of a player.”
Allen smiled: “He’s probably better than me at this point,” he said.
It was among several lighthearted moments from Allen, who said he didn’t request a trade from Indianapolis, but added that he was glad he wasn’t “held hostage” on a going-nowhere team.
In contrast, his new employer could be going somewhere Allen has never been in a career that’s included just two playoff wins.
Asked if he’s thought about how much longer he wants to play in the NFL, Allen, newly energized despite being sleep-deprived, again, grinned.
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“Not anymore,” he said.
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This article originally published at Super bad to Super Bowl? 49ers’ Keenan Allen giddy after trade from Colts.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
