How are the New Orleans Saints going to navigate life without Jordyn Tyson? The team drafted him in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft as an ideal tag-team partner for Chris Olave, but the rookie wide receiver is now expected to miss up to two months with a hamstring injury. It's a big disappointment after what had been an encouraging offseason for the black and gold.
Saints coach Kellen Moore has dismissed previous questions about adding more help with responses about how "we have twelve receivers" after Ja'Lynn Polk retired, but it's a different story when a starter goes down. Tyson missing time to start the season could open the door for Kevin Austin Jr. or Bub Means to make the team, but they aren't going to see the same workload. The Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens aren't going to adjust their plans if those guys are starting Weeks 1 and 2.
And that brings us to Keenan Allen, 34 years old and a sixtime Pro Bowler. The longtime Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver has been linked to the Saints ever since Moore took the job; Allen had one of his best seasons when Moore was calling plays in L.A., and the team's lack of depth at receiver made him an obvious match. It just never materialized into public interest. Maybe the situation is different enough now to make teaming up worthwhile.
But what could it cost? Last year, Allen signed a $3.02 million deal to return to the Los Angeles Chargers that guaranteed him just $2.25 million, with a lot more available through incentives for performance. He met many of those goals and ended the season with 81 receptions for 777 yards, four touchdowns and 49 first downs across 17 games; good for a payout of $6.27 million. The team at Spotrac estimates a $6.8 million market value for him now, for what that's worth.
It isn't a question of whether New Orleans can afford it. Over The Cap's experts have them under the spending limit by more than $12.12 million, and it won't cost much to reconfigure things once roster cuts are processed in a few weeks. Instead, the questions we should be asking are whether they should pursue Allen, and whether he's even interested. Let's start with the second one. Last offseason, the Saints had an uncertain quarterback situation and little competition at wide receiver. No dice. Tyler Shough has been the talk of the league this summer and while the Saints added a lot of new faces to the receiving corps, Allen may have more to offer as the temporary WR2 or WR3, depending on the plan for Devaughn Vele. Allen's role would diminish once Tyson is back in the lineup but it's hard to see him losing too many targets to rookies like Bryce Lance and Barion Brown or career backups like Tipton, Austin, Means, or Mason Tipton.
And that's where we circle back to the first question. Should the Saints even bother calling Allen? They've had all summer to bring him in, if they thought there would be mutual interest, and dozens of blogs connecting those dots haven't gone anywhere. If the team's doctors are optimistic that Tyson can return before the four-week window he'd have to spend on injured reserve runs out, they would be better off relying on Olave, Vele, and their backups for two or three games before working Tyson back into the lineup. But if they do determine a two-month hiatus is what's best for him? Having a vet like Allen in the room for those first five games would be worth pursuing. He still owns a home in sunny Irvine, Calif., a quick drive from where the Saints will be practicing this week before their preseason game with the Los Angeles Rams. Maybe Allen makes an appearance.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Should Saints sign Keenan Allen in the wake of Jordyn Tyson injury?
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