The Chicago Bears sit at 3-2 after a pair of impressive wins over the Lions and Raiders. This sets up a huge rivalry showdown with the Green Bay Packers for a chance to seize control of the NFC North. One would think the team isn’t even thinking about trading any players. Especially Allen Robinson. He remains one of their most reliable offensive weapons and Justin Fields needs all the help he can get.
Except the Robinson situation is different. At least according to Hall of Fame executive Gil Brandt. In his mind, the Bears need to be focused on the future. That means looking to stockpile draft picks at every opportunity. Robinson is playing on the franchise tag and every sign points to him likely leaving in free agency next year. The Bears would be wise to get something while they still can.
“Robinson has failed to top 70 receiving yards just 25 times in his four seasons with the Chicago Bears — but five of those instances have come this season, during one of the worst starts of Robinson’s career. Excluding 2017, when he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1, Robinson’s put up the lowest yardage total (181) in the first five games of a season since he entered the NFL.
The Bears’ team-wide offensive struggles likely have something to do with this, however, and there are surely receiver-needy squads out there that would love to add a player who has otherwise managed to produce in unfavorable conditions over his NFL tenure.”
This isn’t the situation anybody wanted.
Robinson has been great for the Bears since he arrived in 2018. A series of unfortunate circumstances have led to this. Robinson playing well despite subpar quarterback play. The league salary cap dropping at the exact time the organization would’ve wanted to negotiate an extension. All of these things came together in a perfect storm. Now the man seems resigned to the reality that he won’t be back next year. Not unless GM Ryan Pace makes stronger offers.
Given where the Bears’ salary cap is lately? That doesn’t seem likely. So what Brandt says is correct. If it is clear A-Rob is leaving, it would make sense for them to get something for him while they can. Despite his rough start, Robinson still has plenty of credibility around the league. It isn’t a hard sell to think a playoff contender might be willing to deal for him in order to fortify their offense. The Arizona Cardinals just got done trading for Zach Ertz as one example.
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Allen Robinson doesn’t figure into the Bears’ future
The Bears could probably get a mid-round pick back from somebody. Maybe even a 3rd rounder. Smart money says the Bears would receive a compensatory 3rd in 2023 if they were to let him walk and didn’t make any major signings next offseason. On the other hand, the Bears only have five picks in the upcoming draft. So adding another one would probably be preferable from their point of view.
Allen Robinson has already been supplanted as the #1 pass target in this offense. Darnell Mooney has taken a big step forward for the Bears and seems to share a strong connection with Fields. That will be the combination the team looks to build around moving forward. This is not to say they don’t want to keep Robinson. He can still play for several years to come. This is simply a case of business making things impossible.
If such a point is reached, where might he end up?
Much of this depends on the need and cap space available. When looking at the landscape? A few teams that make sense include the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, and San Francisco 49ers. Pittsburgh just lost JuJu Smith-Schuster for the season. San Francisco and New England don’t have any receivers of Robinson’s caliber. Both have also done trade business with the Bears in the past. Something to watch for in the coming weeks.