Allen Robinson tries to cultivate an image of someone that is only focused on doing his job. Yet anybody that has followed him for long enough will realize he has an ego. That isn’t a good or bad thing. It is simply a fact. Most professional athletes do. Some flaunt it more than others. While Robinson might not be as outspoken publicly, don’t be fooled. The wide receiver has an opinion, and he’ll find ways to share it.
Another example surfaced on Valentine’s day. One of the prevailing theories about why Robinson disappeared to such a large extent in 2021 is because head coach Matt Nagy intentionally geared the offense away from him. One Bears fan spoke out against such an idea, stating it made no sense considering the team franchise tagged him for $18 million and that shortchanging Robinson would only have hurt their hopes of staying in Chicago.
Robinson himself didn’t seem to share the same sentiment.
154…151…66
— Allen Robinson II (@AllenRobinson) February 14, 2022
Those who didn’t crack the code are the number of targets he had each of the past three seasons: 154 in 2019, 151 in 2020, and 66 in 2021. That represents an undeniable shift in offensive identity to him. He went from being the primary focus of the passing game to not. He did miss four games with a hamstring injury, but that isn’t enough to account for such a significant difference.
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Allen Robinson said last month in an interview with KJM of ESPN that he feels the coaches didn’t involve him as much as years prior. It felt like game plans were intentionally steered away from getting the ball in his hands. He was never the problem. Plenty of people will agree with him. Now that Nagy is gone, some hope Robinson might consider staying in Chicago. That seems unlikely.
With his hopes of landing a big contract derailed, for the time being, the more plausible scenario is he’ll seek out a one-year deal elsewhere on a team with a proven quarterback. A great way to help reignite his market. Then he can go after that big contract in 2023.
