The Chicago Bears appear set to land Allen Robinson when free agency opens.
After assembling a dismal group of wide receivers for the 2017 season, Ryan Pace knew he was going to have to do better in 2018.
With a developing young QB in Mitch Trubisky as well as a new offensive-minded head coach in Matt Nagy, Pace knew the team would have to put some genuine weapons around Trubisky for Nagy to utilize.
Before free agency even officially begins, it appears the Bears have taken 1 giant step in that direction and are set to acquire their top free agent target.
Former Jaguars’ WR Allen Robinson intends to sign with the Chicago Bears barring any last-minute snags when free agency opens Wednesday, source tells ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2018
After Schefter broke the news, Josina Anderson followed up with some news of her own.
WR Allen Robinson just told me he intends to sign a “3-year, $42M dollar deal with the #Bears.” #TeamNoSleep https://t.co/G6oNqZDdKq
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 13, 2018
The financials for this deal are less than some expected. While the AAV of $13 million shouldn’t be a surprise, the length only being three years is definitely a surprise.
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Perhaps Robinson wanted the shorter length to bet on himself and hit free agency again when he is still young. At the same time, teams may not have been willing to go to a fourth or fifth year with Robinson coming off an ACL injury.
This is a huge story because it also marks the first mega free agent that Pace has landed during his tenure as GM. He has no time to rest. Pace must turn his attention to Albert Wilson and Trey Burton to see if he can round out the new look offense and give Trubisky plenty of options to throw to after a 2017 season where he didn’t have any options at all.
Regardless of who else Pace lands, Bears fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing Pace reeled in quite a catch to kick off the 2018 off-season.
More on this story as it develops.