It has become one of the biggest mysteries of the 2020 Chicago sports calendar. What is going on between the Chicago Bears and Allen Robinson? For those who aren’t caught up, here’s the quick recap. Robinson was the best offensive player on the team in 2019, going for 1,147 yards. Nobody was close to him in terms of productivity in the passing game. Logic dictates that with this year being the last of his current contract it makes sense to extend him.
January turned to February, then March, then April. The months kept slipping by and nothing emerged from Halas Hall. Not even a hint the two sides were even talking. Robinson himself said on ESPN a month ago the Bears hadn’t even approached his agent about a deal. Whether that was true or a clever use of the media to gain leverage? Who knows.
What is true is that the regular season is less than 24 hours away. This is usually a day when a lot of extensions get done and this year was no exception. Star running backs Dalvin Cook and Alvin Kamara along with wide receiver Cooper Kupp all managed to secure new deals with their respective teams. Robinson? Nothing but static.
So this begs the obvious question. Why?
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Rams and WR Cooper Kupp are finalizing a three-year extension that ties him to Los Angeles through the 2023 season, sources tell ESPN. Deal expected to be signed today.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 12, 2020
Vikings’ RB Dalvin Cook is signing a five-year, $63 million deal, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 12, 2020
Exploring why Allen Robinson didn’t get his money
What makes this situation so frustrating is the lack of clarity. GM Ryan Pace is notorious for keeping contract discussions under tight control. Leaks are few and far between. So it’s all speculation and guesswork as to what is actually going on. So here are a few possibilities that might make some sense of this delay.
Explanation #1 – Ownership won’t allow it
Pace mentioned on multiple occasions that he and the front office are still waiting on final details regarding the 2021 salary cap. It’s well-known that potential revenue losses from fewer fans in attendance due to COVID-19 this year could see the cap fall as much as $23 million. A lot of owners might not be willing to shell out expensive new deals until they have more clarity on what it could cost them. With both George McCaskey and Ted Phillips having backgrounds in accounting, this isn’t a huge stretch.
Explanation #2 – Robinson’s price is too high
A lot of wide receivers got their own extensions this year, and this has moved the needle upwards in terms of the contract line. Robinson knows he’s coming off a good year. He also knows the Bears don’t have anybody to replace him. At least not at the moment. That kind of leverage can easily lead to a high price demand. Amari Cooper and Keenan Allen both got new deals topping $20 million a year. That is more than Michael Thomas of the Saints makes. As good as Robinson is, the Bears have to ask the difficult question. Is he really worth that much?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmVvDW72uKw&t&ab_channel=ChicagoBears
Explanation #3 – The 2021 free agents issue
Coming back to that 2021 cap issue, this is something a lot of people haven’t factored in. Including Robinson, the team has no less than 30 players under their employment who will become some form of free agent next year. Current projections are they’ll be in the red from a cap standpoint when next offseason begins. Handing Robinson his extension could make that problem significantly worse. They would have to drastically cut into their payroll just to get back under the cap, let alone try to keep some of those players.
Explanation #4 – Quarterback concerns
This last one might be the biggest stretch, but it can’t be ignored. To this point in his career, Robinson has played with two quarterbacks. Blake Bortles and Mitch Trubisky. That is less than ideal. While getting money is important, every wide receiver knows their full potential can’t be unlocked without a good triggerman under center. Is it possible Robinson is delaying extension talks because he doesn’t trust the Bears have their QB situation figured out? Maybe. The same thing happened with Alshon Jeffery a few years ago.