All things considered? The Chicago Bears have accomplished almost every major objective this offseason. They secured Cairo Santos to a long-term deal. They improved the depth and competition on offense. Key starters like Tashaun Gipson were retained. Most importantly? They overhauled the quarterback position. First by adding solid veteran Andy Dalton and then of course by drafting highly-touted Ohio State star Justin Fields.
That last one is what seemed to change everything. The entire outlook of this Bears franchise altered in an instant. Hope and optimism were restored. Even more so than when Mitch Trubisky was drafted back in 2017. Experts and NFL personnel people were in agreement that Fields is a rare talent. Somebody who can be a star in this league. His reputation in college speaks for itself.
That raised an interesting question.
One that applies to the one remaining unchecked box for this Bears offseason. Could Fields’ arrival lead to Allen Robinson finally coming around on a contract extension? While money is always the primary driving force in such matters, there’s been a strong undercurrent of belief that the star receiver was reluctant to stay in Chicago because of their quarterback problems. Something that has plagued him his entire career. Marc Sessler of NFL.com believes Fields could be the bargaining chip Chicago needed to get him on board.
“It would be understandable if he were averse to signing an extension with a Bears team eternally feeling around in the dark, but the franchise-tagged Robinson might listen after the drafting of Justin Fields. With 200 grabs over his past two campaigns, Robinson is the ideal veteran to pair with Chicago’s new rookie field general. A long-term pact would also ease Robinson’s weighty $17.9 million tag number.”
Robinson has maintained for months now that the Bears haven’t engaged him on contract talks since last fall. Rumors insist his asking price was too high for the team. It isn’t clear what their number is but the willingness to pay him a franchise tag that high suggests they might be willing to go upwards of $19-20 million. Provided the deal is structured to where his biggest cap hits don’t land until after 2021.
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Does Justin Fields have enough time to make an impression?
As of right now, the Bears have until July 15th to figure out an extension for Robinson. After that, he is locked into his franchise tag deal. No negotiations will be able to resume until next offseason. That doesn’t give Fields a lot of time to make an impression on the veteran receiver. Especially if Robinson were to decide to sit out minicamps and OTAs ahead of training camp. That would severely limit their opportunities to connect.
Then again, Justin Fields already has a pretty strong reputation. One that Robinson can’t ignore. He has said he’d love the chance to break every Bears receiving record and put his stamp on franchise history. Given the potential Fields has, he may wish to stick along for the ride. In the end, that alone won’t close the deal. It comes down to whether Chicago finds the right numbers that he and his agent can be happy with.
Pulling it off would be a huge boon for the franchise.
There isn’t a lot of stability right now at wide receiver. Robinson, Anthony Miller, Javon Wims, Damiere Byrd, and Marquise Goodwin are all set to be free agents in 2022. Only Darnell Mooney and rookie Dazz Newsome are on long-term deals. Being able to secure their star for years to come would be such a welcome relief. Not to mention it would give their young quarterback a target he can rely on.