There’s less than a week until July 15. That’s the deadline by which the Chicago Bears and franchised WR Allen Robinson must agree to a tag-removing extension; otherwise, they’ll need to table talks until the offseason. Safe to say the pressure is on.
In other news, the Bears will be welcoming fans back to training camp at Halas Hall this year.
Training camp is just 3️⃣ weeks away! Registration for the opportunity to receive free tickets is open NOW. ⤵️@drpepper | #BearsCamphttps://t.co/xfZ2WYJeI1
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) July 8, 2021
After saying goodbye to Bourbonnais and not having training camp open to fans last year, this is a welcome sight for many fans’ sore eyes.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
With that, let’s reach into this week’s Bears Mailbag. Thanks for submitting questions; follow me on Twitter @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.
Bears Mailbag
I'm not confident in Robinson and the Bears agreeing to a deal by July 15. They'll have to revisit in the offseason.
I like the Bears' additions to the OL. The projected Jenkins-Whitehair-Mustipher-Daniels-Ifedi combo is an intriguing one.
And they have more depth than 2020.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) July 9, 2021
To add a bit more color here, both sides have reasons to wait until the offseason. The WR market was significantly weaker this year than expected with the cap dropping to $182.5M. Kenny Golladay signed the largest deal with the New York Giants, but it was still only in the range where the Bears are likely hoping to secure Robinson. So Robinson has incentive to wait until next year.
Meanwhile, the Bears are expecting the cap to jump substantially next year and, with a few different deals able to come off the books, are expected to have a lot more cap space in 2022. Sure, they’ll need to prioritize some decisions/extensions for key players. But Robinson should be part of the conversation.
Bears fans should just hope things still remain cordial between the two sides through the season. Hopefully they are in a negotiating mood come February.
I don't think the Packers trade him in 2021. The pessimist in me (for Bears fans) thinks Rodgers will return to Green Bay and play this year.
I'll say this, though: The NFL got the drama it wanted to keep itself relevant in July.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) July 9, 2021
Physical readiness and mental readiness are different things. If Fields is nailing his throws in training camp, excellent. But he still needs to know the playbook and how to be an NFL QB. I think he would benefit sitting for a bit behind Andy Dalton, but we will see.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) July 9, 2021
It sounds like Kindle Vildor is making a real impression on his coaches. I'd keep an eye on him taking that CB2 spot.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) July 9, 2021
I wouldn't mind the Bears taking a look at Russell Okung for further depth/insurance at LT.
The Bears will also certainly monitor final cuts after preseason, so they may have opportunities to add improvements then as well.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) July 9, 2021
