It’s difficult to focus on the business of football right now. So much is happening around the country. First a pandemic and now widespread protests over the killing of a Minnesota black man by white police officers. It’s amazing to think that just a couple of months ago Chicago Bears fans were solely focused on when the team was going to work out a contract extension with Allen Robinson.
It was and remains the single most important piece of business for GM Ryan Pace to conduct. Robinson is far and away the best player on that offense. Somebody they can’t afford to lose. Yet days and weeks continue to pass without any signs of progress. That isn’t necessarily something to panic about. The Bears usually keep their negotiations quiet.
That said, there is an air of unknown around the talks. Robinson himself has said he’s not sure how they’ll go. He’s leaving that up to the team and his agent. Under normal circumstances, a deal might already be done. So why the holdup? Adam Hoge of NBC Sports explained the most likely reason.
“The potential problem for Robinson is that NFL organizations are protecting themselves from several unknown variables due to coronavirus. There’s almost certainly going to be some type of revenue drop in 2020 if fans are not allowed to attend games and that could result in the salary cap staying flat or even dropping in 2021. Teams always project and estimate future cap space, but the NFL’s salary cap has risen by at least $10 million for seven years in a row and no capologist could have accounted for a season without fans.”
Allen Robinson should still get his money but it will be tough
It’s not like the Bears are stalling because they want to. GM Ryan Pace is known for being a huge advocate of rewarding his own players. He absolutely wants to give Robinson his money. However, he can’t be irresponsible about it. This virus issue is serious. Several experts have said the best-case scenario is that the cap will stay the same in 2021. Some fear it could fall $20-30 million.
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Considering the Bears are projected to have no more than $25 million in space next offseason? That’s not ideal. Especially with 28 projected free agents including Robinson on their roster.
It’s going to take some creativity from Pace to construct a contract that gives Robinson what he wants while still leaving the team some wiggle room for next year. That is easier said than done. The only thing for fans to do is hope the NFL can figure out a way to mitigate the financial windfall from the virus’ impact.