With the passing of the July 15th deadline, the Chicago Bears are no longer allowed to negotiate a long-term extension with Allen Robinson. Not that it matters. It was evident for months by that point the two sides were nowhere close to a deal. Something that first became apparent as far back as September of 2020. Recent estimates suggest Robinson was looking for something along the lines of $20 million per year. The Bears weren’t willing to go higher than $16 million.
With such a large divide, it wasn’t a shock no extension came. Now, most Bears fans have resigned themselves to reality. Barring an unexpected change, Robinson is going to enter free agency in 2022. Chicago isn’t going to franchise tag him a second time. Not at the cost of just under $22 million. The wide receiver is determined to get the sort of payday he deserves. The Bears are showing that they simply don’t value the receiver position as they do others.
So if he truly is gone, where will Robinson end up?
Sports betting experts have an early favorite. Sportsbettingdime.com delivered a list of nine teams that have some level of potential to sign the 28-year old next March. While the Bears remain high among them, they aren’t the favorite. That honor is reserved for another team.
- Baltimore Ravens: 7/1
- Chicago Bears: 15/2
- Indianapolis Colts: 9/1
- New England Patriots: 11/1
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 12/1
- Green Bay Packers: 14/1
- Las Vegas Raiders: 14/1
- Los Angeles Rams: 14/1
- Houston Texans: 18/1
The Ravens being #1 isn’t a surprise. Despite being a repeated playoff contender the past couple of seasons, they’ve been unable to go far in January because of their passing game. In four playoff appearances, Lamar Jackson completed less than 56% of his passes for 900 yards and three touchdowns to five interceptions. Many feel his lack of top-of-the-line receivers is a big reason for this. So signing somebody like Robinson makes a ton of sense.
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Allen Robinson likely won’t sign with the Ravens
Why? Namely, because Baltimore poured a ton of resources into their receiver position already this offseason. They drafted Rashod Bateman out of Minnesota in the 1st round and then Tylan Wallance from Oklahoma State in the 4th. If that weren’t enough, they also signed veteran Sammy Watkins in free agency. So that position already underwent a significant overhaul.
Presuming the Ravens aren’t the actual favorite on the list, then where might Allen Robinson land? Of those others presented, the one that might make the most sense are the Indianapolis Colts. While not the biggest in terms of free agency spenders, several keys line up. The Colts will have a projected $83 million in cap space. TY Hilton might be playing his last season with the team at 31-years old and they have to make sure new QB Carson Wentz is properly armed.
Playing in a dome will also appeal to a crisp route runner like Robinson.
All that being said, free agency is rarely predictable. Anybody could end up signing him. It comes down to whether they make the right offer. The Bears will face a different challenge. Figuring out how to fill the void he will leave behind. Darnell Mooney is the only notable receiver on the roster who will be under contract next season. So GM Ryan Pace will have a lot of work to do.