The Chicago Bears have said multiple times they wish to keep Allen Robinson long-term on the team. Yet the contract negotiations with the star wide receiver indicate otherwise. Most rumors persist that the team has a certain dollar amount in mind. Something around $17 million at the latest estimates. Meanwhile, Robinson is seeking something closer to $18-19 million.
With a quarter of the season gone, the two sides seem no closer to an agreement. That seems to suit Robinson just fine. Why? The longer the Bears wait, the more leverage they lose. That is evident in how the receiver has continued to play. Through four games, Robinson ranks 8th in the NFL with 331 yards. The next closest on the roster in Darnell Mooney with 145 yards. Not even half that much.
Robinson is the Bears’ passing attack. He knows it too. Maybe the team has waited for somebody else to emerge in hopes they might gain the upper hand but it hasn’t happened. GM Ryan Pace played hardball and it’s coming back to bite him. Yes, the 2021 salary cap situation has played a part but the Bears should’ve paid him what he wanted when they had the chance.
Now it’s too late.
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Odds are Allen Robinson won’t get extended now
It’s clear he has a certain dollar amount in mind and won’t budge from it. So the Bears have a decision to make. Either meet his demand or find an alternate option. If it’s the latter, there are two avenues open to them. The first and probably least likely is to trade him at the deadline. That will be October 29th. Robinson’s value is significant and he should be able to fetch a decent pick despite the expiring contract.
Second? That would be the franchise tag. The Bears are free to use it on the receiver next offseason. Projections are it will cost around $15.3 million. Yet even this is problematic. Over The Cap currently projects them to be almost $5 million in the red to start next offseason. Even with a possible $8 million rollover from this year, that would leave them with between $3-4 million in total cap space.
That means the Bears would have to do some serious trimming of their payroll just to fit Robinson into the picture. It’s doable but is far from the ideal solution. They could mix the two options as well. Tag him and then trade him elsewhere.
What makes it all so frustrating is it didn’t have to get to this point. The Bears just took too much time. Robinson has the leverage now. He’s currently on pace to finish