Welp…
The drama continues…
The Chicago Bears decided to place the franchise tag on Allen Robinson. This was inevitable and we all saw it coming. Clearly, the two sides were not in agreement when it came to the wide receiver’s value. Rumors have been reported that Robinson wants upwards of $25 million dollars in average salary per season. This would put him behind only DeAndre Hopkins in AAV.
Let’s be honest, the Chicago Bears and Ryan Pace made the right business decision, even if they did not make the right decision last summer. Last summer is when the Bears should have extended Allen Robinson. At the time, I thought he deserved the same (or similar) contract as Keenan Allen, who is making $20 million in AAV. Now it appears waiting has made Robinson want even more money.
I am not going to argue about the merits of the franchise tag. It is something that every team has at their disposal and the Bears used it within league rules. Robinson has the right to deny to sign it and sit out in 2021. This could force the Chicago Bears’ hand into trading Robinson (something I think they should do anyway) instead.
It appears that Allen Robinson is about to keep the drama going and who knows how this will all play out in the end. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said that Robinson has no plans to sign the franchise tag in the near future. Fowler stated:
"Allen Robinson, I’m told has zero plans to sign his franchise tag in the immediate future. So considering their contract negotiations in the fall did not go well, this could drag out a long while where Robinson doesn’t show up, doesn’t sign that tag. Because when they talked in the past, the Bears made clear they have no plans to give him that top dollar at wide receiver. you know, that $20 million range that the best players now get."
Allen Robinson may not be worth the headache for the Chicago Bears
Look, I like Allen Robinson and think he’s one of the best wide receivers in the league. That said, this team is not going to do anything without a quarterback and Nick Foles is not the answer. I could see the Chicago Bears agreeing to an extension with Allen Robinson, mainly to free up salary cap space in 2021, once the quarterback position has been figured out.
Should the team find a way to trade for the likes of Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson, or honestly no matter which quarterback they can add to the roster, it would be a shame if Allen Robinson was not at the offseason programs developing timing and a rapport with the new QB.
There are only a few ways this can go. The team extends Robinson after they secure a quarterback as I previously mentioned. Allen Robinson holds out and forces a trade. Ryan Pace has full intentions to trade Robinson away anyway to gain draft capital. Finally, Allen Robinson decides to play under the tag after continuing his drama and sitting out all offseason.