In 2024, the San Francisco 49ers' pass attack struggled to be productive. Much of this came down to the torn ACL/MCL Brandon Aiyuk suffered in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Aiyuk's injury left veterans George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings and rookie Ricky Pearsall to pick up the slack.
While Kittle and Jennings shined, Samuel and Pearsall struggled, leaving the passing attack incomplete. That said, San Francisco aims to have an improved passing attack in 2025. With Aiyuk likely to miss a good portion of the early season, that leaves Jennings and newcomer Demarcus Robinson as the veterans in the wide receiver room.
However, Robison may end up being suspended after being cited a second time for a DUI on January 9, 2025. That would leave Jennings to play alongside multiple young receivers to start the year, which could be problematic.
Thus, San Francisco should consider adding veteran Kennan Allen, who still remains a free agent.
San Francisco Must Consider Adding WR Kennan Allen Before Training Camp
Following strong springs from young receivers Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins, optimism is high for the 49ers' receiving room. As a result, many 49ers fans may scoff at the idea of bringing in Allen, as it would take away valuable reps for the young guys.
Be that as it may, relying on two second-year receivers and a rookie to help fill in for Aiyuk still seems risky, given how unpredictable young players can be. That is why signing Allen would benefit San Francisco.
Last season, Allen recorded 70 receptions on 121 targets for 744 yards and seven touchdowns with the Chicago Bears. Although that's a down year for the 33-year-old, his struggles last season weren't all on him and had lots to do with poor coaching.
Still, he did record six drops, the third most of his career. Furthermore, Allen has dealt with nagging heel injuries the past two seasons, which could certainly play a factor in why he remains unsigned.
Yet, the biggest factor why Allen remains unsigned is where he wants to play. The 33-year-old has gone on record saying he wants to finish his career in Los Angeles or Chicago. Unfortunately, for him, all three of those teams have pretty full receiving corps, so San Francisco is the closest he can get to Los Angeles.
Though on paper, signing Allen isn't the most logical move for the 49ers to make, it would certainly strengthen their receiving corps. Therefore, general manager John Lynch should definitely make the call.