Chicago Bears: We should be grateful for Allen Robinson
By Evan Bruner
When the Chicago Bears signed Allen Robinson to a three-year $42 million dollar contract back in 2018, it seemed like a match made in heaven. Robinson was one of the top free agent wide receivers on the market and had the opportunity to leave behind Blake Bortles for a promising, young quarterback in Mitchell Trubisky. Robinson and Trubisky were supposed to create one of the best QB-WR duos and lead the Monsters of the Midway back to prominence.
However, things don’t always go as planned. Robinson held up his end of the bargain. His head coach and quarterback did not. With Robinson’s time with the team likely coming to an end this offseason, it’s hard not to think about what could’ve been.
Allen Robinson deserves respect from the fans for his career here in Chicago
Robinson’s time in Chicago didn’t include a playoff win, much less a Super Bowl. Instead, he was part of a chapter in Bears history that fans will spend the coming years trying to forget. From the double-doink to Nagy and his quarterback carousel, the Chicago Bears have had no lack of painful and frustrating moments over the last few seasons.
Nagy and Trubisky tricked us all into thinking they were the answer in 2018, and no one paid a bigger price for that illusion than Robinson. By the time the organization caught up with the grim reality of their coach and quarterback situation, it was too late.
It’s only fitting that such a messy, imperfect situation has a messy, imperfect ending. Robinson battled through injuries and COVID-19 caused him to lose 10 pounds. He put together a meager stat line of 38 receptions, 410 yards, and one touchdown this year.
It’s easy to let recency bias get the best of us, but recent failures shouldn’t nullify prior triumphs. The dysfunction of the Trubisky-Nagy era wasn’t what Robinson signed up for, and he made the most of the hellish situation. He always conducted himself in a professional manner with the media and never publicly voiced his frustrations. Robinson was a lone bright spot on one of the worst offenses in football.
Even after consecutive 1,100+ yard seasons, Robinson was unable to reach an extension and played 2021 under the franchise tag. He didn’t hold out nor did he make a spectacle of the situation. Even as Robinson’s numbers dropped, possibly causing him to potentially lose millions of dollars, he bit his tongue.
I’m not asking fans to feel sorry for Robinson. I’m just asking them to focus on what he accomplished in Chicago rather than what he didn’t. The wide receiver position has developed a reputation for being attention-seeking and selfish. No one would’ve blamed Robinson for checking out at the end of the season, but he didn’t. He fought through injuries and COVID-19 late to finish the year.
There is no reason for Chicago Bears fans to be mad at Allen Robinson. It’s not his fault Trubisky and Nagy flopped in Chicago. The stars just never aligned. The Bears failed Robinson, not the other way around, and that’s why fans should root for him for the rest of his career.