Allen Robinson is on his way to a second 1,000-yard season with the Chicago Bears. Only the fourth receiver to ever accomplish that feat in the Super Bowl era for this franchise. This is one of the reasons why fans can’t understand why the team hasn’t worked harder to extend him. It seems like such a no brainer. Yet the last word says Chicago broke off talks as far back as Week 3.
GM Ryan Pace has said the team loves Robinson and would like to keep him around for the long-term. Yet the impasse continues. Dan Graziano of ESPN stated the two sides were around $2 million per year apart in negotiations. Robinson wanted $18 million. The Bears were looking at closer to $16 million. They upped the offer somewhat after that report but nothing happened.
It’s clear the 27-year old is sticking to the number he has in mind.
At least one person thinks that may have been a mistake. Mike Tannenbaum is a former GM himself from both New York and Miami. He has an intimate knowledge of the business workings of the NFL. In his mind, people continue to undersell just how massive an impact COVID-19 is going to have on the 2021 offseason.
Projections have the salary cap dropping to $175 million. Down from $200 million. This is going to force a lot of teams to shed bigger contracts. That means the free agent market will likely flood with a high number of quality veterans looking for work. That includes the wide receiver position. This would not work in the favor of somebody expecting a big payday like Robinson. It’s one reason why Tannenbaum feels the Bears won’t franchise tag him.
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“I don’t think he will get tagged because I think the Bears will have more cost-effective options this year because of that.
In terms of a dollar value, I would say somewhere around $12 [million], $13 [million], $14 million per year would be my walk-away because I just feel like I have options. I like him, I like his physicality, he’s been productive, but I think because of this weird environment, I think the Class of 2021 isn’t going to do well. There will be exceptions, but the market is going to be flooded with cap casualties, and we are going to see that permeate through all the different positions.”
Allen Robinson is gambling on himself in a big way
The 2021 receiver market already looks pretty strong. In addition to him, other prominent names like Kenny Golladay, Chris Godwin, and JuJu Smith-Schuster will be seeking new contracts. Their presence along with the possible arrival of cap casualties like Green, Jeffery, Jamison Crowder, Tyrell Williams, and even Odell Beckham Jr. would indeed flood the market. Teams won’t feel the need to pay big money for Robinson when they can secure another guy for cheap and then make up the rest in the draft.
This seems to be the tactic Pace is taking. He’s made his offer to the receiver and prefers to stand on it. If that doesn’t work out, it’s a tough loss but here is the hard truth. Receivers are much easier to replace than other positions on offense. Right now the Bears need a ton of work on their offensive line. Oh, and they still need a quarterback. Sacrificing Allen Robinson would suck in the short-term, but could aid in both of those long-term goals.
Then again maybe the man could change his mind.
As the offseason draws closer, it might click with him that he won’t end up getting the money he’s looking for. He could then take the Bears’ offer. Truth be told, that feels unlikely. This team is facing a significant reboot on offense. Maybe even a change to the front office and coaching staff. He has only so many prime years left. Robinson may prefer to spend them trying to find a more stable situation.
Nobody would blame him for that. Either way, it sounds like optimism is lower than ever the wide receiver will be in a Bears uniform after this year.