People have tried for months to determine other reasons why Allen Robinson hasn’t agreed to a new contract with the Chicago Bears. He is probably unhappy with the quarterback situation. He doesn’t like Matt Nagy as a head coach. Most of which are rather superficial. The truth was always the same regardless of how others tried to spin it. This was about money. Something that is hard for a lot of people to accept.
If so, then it should be easy for a billion-dollar organization to give the wide receiver what he wants. He’s been their best offensive weapon for three years now. A man on track to break every meaningful franchise record. Instead, things have gone off the rails. Following the end of the July 15th deadline, Robinson will officially play 2021 on the franchise tag. Barring an unexpected change next offseason, he will be a free agent in 2022.
How did it come to this?
A simple case of value. Robinson views himself as one of the top receivers in the NFL. He proved that by producing despite ongoing quarterback problems in Chicago. That should be compensated with a proper financial raise. GM Ryan Pace clearly doesn’t agree. While the team has stated repeatedly they love Robinson on and off the field, their actions speak far louder. Chris Emma of 670 The Score revealed just how far apart the two sides were on an extension.
“Robinson’s camp and the Bears haven’t negotiated in earnest on a new contract since last September, when discussions broke down. Robinson coveted in the range of $20 million annually, a market set by receiver peers like Amari Cooper of the Cowboys and Keenan Allen of the Chargers. The Bears were well short of that in their offer, topping out around $16 million annually.”
That right there says it all. Robinson wanted to be paid like a top 5 receiver, which both Cooper and Allen currently are at #4 and #3 respectively. The Bears don’t see him as somebody worth that kind of money. They were looking for something more along the lines of what Cooper Kupp and Adam Thielen are making. When it became obvious neither side was going to budge, talks broke down.
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Like it or hate it, the course is now set with Allen Robinson
There is always a chance the Bears somehow convince him to sign long-term after the season ends. That just doesn’t seem plausible though. There are only two options left at this point. Either Pace uses the franchise tag on Robinson again, a move that would likely cost around $21.6 million. Or the Bears let him walk as a free agent and work to find a replacement. The belief being they’d either collect a likely 3rd round compensatory pick in 2023 or sign a solid receiver closer to their preferred price.
Needless to say, plenty of people can’t understand why the Bears are doing this. Allen Robinson has done everything asked of him. He’s been a model citizen and a locker room leader. Clutch in big situations. What does the guy have to do to get the money he seeks? The truth is Pace and the front office just don’t value wide receivers as highly as other positions on the team. If they did, this never would’ve become an issue.
Team philosophy plays a big part in this.
Pace has never paid top money to a receiver. He had a chance to do that in 2017 with Alshon Jeffery and he passed. For good reasons of course but the point is the Bears have always been careful with how much they spend on wide receiver contracts. Maybe this has to do with some of their missteps in the past. Or more likely Pace just believes that position is easier to replace than others.
Either way, it appears 2021 will be Robinson’s final season in a Bears uniform.