Most of this year’s top NFL free agents have long since found new homes for the 2025 season. There was Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks. Stefon Diggs and the New England Patriots.
That doesn’t mean the veteran market is completely barren this far into the summer, however. All 32 teams keep tabs on the pool of remaining free agents in case of emergency or last-minute reinforcements, and a handful of accomplished players are still up for grabs with training camps around the corner. That’s especially true at the wide receiver position, where a slew of recent starters could still draw interest for the 2025 campaign.
Headlining the unsigned pass catchers are two former Pro Bowlers in Amari Cooper and Keenan Allen, who have 11 all-star nods between them. Cooper was last seen with the Buffalo Bills to close the 2024 season, joining the AFC East contender midway through the year via trade from the Cleveland Browns. Allen, meanwhile, spent last year with the Chicago Bears, starting slow but then gaining steam as a favorite target of Caleb Williams down the stretch.
Where might Allen and Cooper play next? Here are some logical suitors for both wideouts this summer:
If we’re being honest, we’re kind of surprised the Broncos haven’t already claimed one of these veteran wideouts. They’ve got a hot young signal-caller in Bo Nix, who might be among the game’s most underrated up-and-comers, but they could still use more of a proven weapon on the outside. Tight end Evan Engram may well become Nix’s new safety valve, and coach Sean Payton may lean on the ground game and defense anyway. But why not explore a potential No. 2 upgrade behind Courtland Sutton? Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi previously served the same role for the Chargers, overseeing two of Allen’s seasons in L.A.
The Raiders certainly made offense a priority this offseason, acquiring Geno Smith via trade, then spending a first-round pick on Ashton Jeanty, giving the silver and black two cornerstone playmakers when you include second-year tight end Brock Purdy. The one area that could still use veteran help is wide receiver, and Cooper knows the franchise well, beginning his career with the Raiders and briefly working alongside current quarterbacks coach Greg Olson. If they’re serious about competing immediately under new head man Pete Carroll, it makes sense they’d use some of their excess salary cap space on a pass target.
Los Angeles Chargers
If we’re going to include a potential Cooper-Raiders reunion, then we almost certainly have to give credence to the possibility of Allen going back to the Bolts. After all, his former running mate Mike Williams did exactly that this offseason. Los Angeles did invest an early-round pick in Tre Harris as a speed complement to route-running savant Ladd McConkey, but if Jim Harbaugh is serious about making Justin Herbert’s supporting cast the best it can be, why not welcome Allen back in a secondary role? Cooper also has ties here, previously working with receivers coach Sanjay Lal when he first played for the Dallas Cowboys.
Pittsburgh Steelers
At this point, it just feels irresponsible not to include the Steelers on any list of potential skill-weapon suitors. Yes, they just added Jonnu Smith as a quasi-wideout for Aaron Rodgers. Yes, they traded for DK Metcalf earlier this offseason. But their perimeter depth is still pretty lacking thanks to George Pickens‘ move to the Cowboys, with replacement-level reserves like Robert Woods and Scotty Miller in line for backup duties. Both Allen and Cooper are precisely the kind of crisp route-runners that Rodgers would surely endorse, and it’s not like their entry would threaten too many of Metcalf’s opportunities as the bona fide No. 1.
The 49ers used the first waves of free agency to purge rather than collect big names, but neither Allen nor Cooper would likely cost a ton at this point of the offseason. Yes, San Francisco’s wide receiver corps is theoretically set for the long term with both Brandon Aiyuk and Ricky Pearsall in tow, but the former is still recovering from a serious injury, and Pearsall only has 11 NFL games under his belt. After securing Brock Purdy for the long haul, it’s not hard to envision Kyle Shanahan wanting to give his young quarterback added insurance out wide, especially in the form of a proven route-running possession target like Allen or Cooper.
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Author: Cody Benjamin
July 2, 2025 | 1:35 pm
