Allen Robinson played the final year of his contract for the Chicago Bears and had his best season with the team. A total of 1,250 yards with six touchdowns. This despite the Bears starting two different quarterbacks in Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles. Another reminder that Robinson is just a great receiver no matter who is throwing him the ball. Just imagine if he had a competent quarterback though.
That’s no doubt something the 27-year old himself is thinking about. He’ll be a free agent this March unless the Bears find a way to keep him around. They have options on the table but it’s fair to say things aren’t nearly as optimistic as they were one year ago. When meeting with the media for the final time before the offseason, Robinson was asked about the possibility the Bears might franchise tag him.
I asked Allen Robinson what his reaction would be if the #Bears franchise tagged him.
He said he presumes we know. I asked whether it was not his preference (obviously).
"I plead the fifth," he said.— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) January 11, 2021
This reaction shouldn’t come as a shock.
Robinson has been vocal in the past about his distaste for the franchise tag. He urged player representatives to get it taken out of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. No doubt he sees it as an unfair advantage for the teams. This is not to say the receiver is totally against staying in Chicago. He made that clear again. He loves the city, the fans, and the organization.
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Allen Robinson said of the Bears: "I do have a great fondness for this city and for this organization. Unfortunately, in a (contract) situation like this, that's not the only thing that matters. … There are more things that weigh out than just the fondness of something."
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) January 11, 2021
His sharpest comment though came in regards to a long-term extension. Does he feel such a thing is still possible? The words he offered stung in a big way if only because they are 100% true.
Allen Robinson on entering the offseason without a contract: "I personally feel like we had an opportunity to get something done over the past 365 days."
— JJ Stankevitz (@JJStankevitz) January 11, 2021
GM Ryan Pace had every opportunity to give the receiver the payday he deserved. A payday befitting by far the best player the Bears have on offense. Instead, Pace offered excuses. Namely fears of how far the 2021 salary cap would drop. All this while finding the money to extend Tarik Cohen in the process.
Allen Robinson did everything asked of him and more
He’s the best receiver the Bears have had since Brandon Marshall and way less of a headache. He produced on the field and was a model citizen off it. These are the sort of guys you reward. The guys who do their job every single week. Instead, the Bears prioritized Eddie Jackson first last January with a massive payday. How did he reward them? With by far the worst season of his career. Then Cohen got his money and he promptly got injured.
It figures the one guy the Bears refused to pay ended up having by far the best season of the three. Allen Robinson could’ve made life much more difficult for them with comments to the media and antics such as holding out. He didn’t. The man suited up each week and went out and performed. Now he’s likely to demand even more money than he would’ve cost before this season.
How is that for irony?
It’s likely the Bears will end up franchise tagging him, whether he likes it or not. They can’t afford to lose him given the state of their receiving corps and quarterback position. No doubt the hope would be they can somehow spend the subsequent year trying to convince him to sign long-term.
