Much like the 2020 season, NFL free agency has been a rollercoaster ride for Kansas City Chiefs fans through its first official week, especially at the wide receiver position. With Sammy Watkins hitting the open market, general manager Brett Veach and company have been in search of an upgrade at the No. 2 spot across from Tyreek Hill.
With JuJu Smith-Schuster and Josh Reynolds both having passed up offers from the Chiefs last week and the free agent receiver class continuing to dry up, it’s looking unlikely that Kansas City will find a true No. 2 to work in front of Mecole Hardman at this point in the offseason. However, they did shore up the depth behind him with the return of a familiar face on Thursday.
First reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chiefs and Demarcus Robinson have agreed to a new one-year deal for the 2021 season. According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the contract is a fully guaranteed veteran’s minimum deal worth $1.1 million — about half of his $2.3 million salary last season.
Wide receiver Demarcus Robinson’s one-year deal Chiefs is a veteran minimum deal worth $1.137 million fully guaranteed, including his $137,500 signing bonus, according to a league source.
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Tyreek Hill & Chiefs Kingdom Reacts on Twitter
GettyChiefs WR Demarcus Robinson
Shortly after Schefter broke the news, Hill was among the first to share his thoughts on the return of his longtime teammate, simply tweeting “thank you chiefs” with a smiling emoji.
Interestingly enough, a large contingency of Chiefs fans who had recently started to grasp the idea of a big-name like Smith-Schuster catching passes from Patrick Mahomes were not thrilled about Veach’s latest move. In some cases, not even merely satisfied.
Most others, though, were fine with Robinson’s return.
Overall, Robinson’s return was a move to be expected given the current state of the market. However, with insiders such as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler elevating expectations by suggesting he’d be “surprised” if the Chiefs didn’t end up with a wide receiver in free agency, it’s easy to see where the disapproval sets in for some.
Robinson Posted Career Numbers in 2020
Contrary to popular belief that Robinson is a liability to the Chiefs offense, the 26-year-old again posted strong numbers again as a secondary option last season. As Arrowhead Pride’s Kent Swanson points out on Twitter, the 6-foot-1, 203-pounder played nearly as many offensive snaps (711) as 2021 breakout candidates Hardman and Byron Pringle combined (738). While much of the action was the result of Watkins’ calf and hamstring injuries limiting him to just 10 games, it’s clear Robinson has earned the trust of his coaching staff.
With those snaps, Robinson turned in career-highs in receiving yards (466), receptions (45) and first-down receptions (26) while starting nine of 16 games. Last year also marked his third consecutive season of at least three touchdowns.
One underrated aspect of Robinson’s game has also been his ability to stay on the field when others (see: Watkins) have not. Through his first six NFL campaigns, the former fourth-round pick has yet to miss a game for Kansas City, with appearances in 80 consecutive regular season games and 10 playoff contests since being drafted 126th overall in 2016.
Outside of those with knowledge inside the Chiefs’ front office, it’s still too early to decipher what Robinson’s role will be next season, especially with Watkins’ return still a lingering possibility and the NFL Draft about a month away. Given his new payout, it’s unlikely he’ll be asked to step into the No. 2 role though, but rather act as a reliable depth option for Mahomes again in 2021.
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Chris Licata is an NFL contributor covering the Kansas City Chiefs from enemy territory in Denver, Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @Chris__Licata or join the Heavy on Chiefs Facebook community for the latest out of Chiefs Kingdom!
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Tyreek Hill & Twitter React to Chiefs Re-Signing Free Agent WR