San Diego Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen has been productive during his three years in the NFL, and now he's cashing in on his success.
Fox Sports has reported that Allen and the Chargers have agreed to a four-year contract extension, which would pay Allen in the neighborhood of $45 million. A whopping $20 million of that money is guaranteed.
Allen, who was the Chargers' third-round draft pick in 2013, was averaging just over $700,000 in salary while still on his rookie contract -- making his new pay rate seem astronomical by comparison.
Keenan Allen's NFL career got off to a rocky start, as he was flagged during the pre-draft process for a positive drug test. According to CBS Sports, Allen's draft stock took a hit due to his alleged drug use, and he fell to the third round of the draft as a result.
Thought to have first-round talent coming out of the University of California-Berkeley, the six-foot-two, 206-pound wide receiver wasted little time showing the NFL that he was a force to be reckoned with.
Allen enjoyed an outstanding rookie season in 2013, catching 71 passes for 1,046 yards and eight touchdowns. However, Allen fell pray to the so-called "sophomore jinx" in 2014, posting 783 receiving yards and catching only four touchdown passes.
Keenan Allen arrived in training camp last season ready to prove his excellent rookie campaign was not a fluke. His season totals were not eye-popping: 67 receptions, 725 yards and four touchdowns. However, Allen accomplished this in only eight games, as he missed half the season with a lacerated kidney.
Had Allen continued on the torrid pace he was on in 2015, he would have led the NFL in receptions, and been among the league leaders in receiving yards as well. In short, Keenan Allen was having a breakout season prior to the injury, and the Chargers knew it -- which inspired the team's management to lock Allen up through the year 2020.
