Allen Robinson and the Chicago Bears spent a long time trying to work out a contract extension. At least as far back as the 2020 offseason. Some would even say the discussions go even further into early 2019. The bottom line is the two sides stopped talking around September of last year. It has proven difficult to nail down exactly what went wrong. Is Robinson’s asking price too high? Are the Bears just being cheap?
The truth is always somewhere in between. Yes, Robinson’s asking price is high. Word is he’s seeking something in the $20 million per year range. That would put him in the top 5 among wide receivers in the NFL. Chicago never went higher than $16 million with their offers. Do they really not value Robinson that much or is the receiver being unreasonable? This likely comes down to one inescapable reality.
The COVID-19 impact.
There is no denying the arrival of the pandemic was the absolute worst timing for the Bears and Robinson. Right when an extension likely would’ve gotten done is when revenue projections for a pandemic-riddled country started coming in. The prospect of no fans in the stands and other factors led teams to realize the salary cap was going to drop and cash flows were going to slow.
It likely didn’t take Robinson long to understand he wasn’t going to be able to maximize his value by taking a deal from the Bears now. The team was almost guaranteed to play hardball and try to get him at a lower number than he probably would’ve gotten if COVID hadn’t happened. Albert Breer of the MMQB explained that this is why he and several other players chose to play 2021 on the franchise tag.
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“All six of the aforementioned players are looking at playing on one-year lump-sum numbers in eight figures this fall. Allen Robinson’s getting $18 million, and Scherff’s a tad north of that. Bottom line, that’s good money, and gave the players leverage to say no, and still be awfully comfortable.
Negotiating with teams in a year when the cap is down, and cash budgets were limited because of COVID-19, wasn’t optimal. So if a player’s O.K. with his 2021 number, why not resist doing a deal when you can only really negotiate with one team in that environment, wait a year, and dive back in next year, when the cap should jump by more than $20 million and you can negotiate with every team? And with the prospect that the cap could really explode in ’23 with the new TV money kicking into the equation?”
Allen Robinson and Bears divide was never malicious
It came down to business. Plain and simple. Robinson feels he is one of the top receivers in the NFL. Given what he accomplished with Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles? Fair enough. However, the Bears weren’t ready to compensate him as such. For a couple of reasons. One is the impact of COVID-19 on the team’s revenue streams as well as their general unwillingness to pour too much money into the receiver position.
Not when the college ranks and even veteran free agency tends to always provide solid alternatives. Allen Robinson will get paid by somebody next offseason. If he has another standout season, it is easy to see him getting that $20 million+ per year he’s looking for. The Bears will face a tough challenge next spring when that happens in replacing him. As of right now, Darnell Mooney is the only halfway proven receiver they have under contract beyond 2021.
This position could look very different by next summer.
GM Ryan Pace knows he’ll be under a lot of pressure too. What with a young quarterback in Justin Fields to build around. This is why many people are so perplexed. Wouldn’t keeping Robinson make so much more sense if you’re trying to turn Fields into a franchise quarterback? That is why the business of the NFL can be so weird.
