49ers Say Goodbye to NFC West Rival After Low-Value Trade

Getty Allen Robinson will no longer be in the San Francisco 49ers division.

After multiple sources reported that a deal was close on Tuesday, April 18wwith nothing but a physical separating the final outcome, the San Francisco 49ers can officially wish Allen Robinson farewell from the NFC West, as the former member of the Los Angeles Rams has officially been traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to Dianna Russini of ESPN.

“Allen Robinson has passed his physical in Pittsburgh, the trade with the Rams is now official,” Russini wrote on Twitter. “Allen Robinson is a Pittsburgh Steeler, per sources.”

Initially drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft, Robinson signed a three-year, $46.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Rams in the spring of 2022 after four years with the Chicago Bears. In LA, Robinson only appeared in 10 games and caught 33 of the 52 passes thrown his way for 339 yards and three touchdowns, his lowest hard total since his final season in Jacksonville, where he only appeared in one game.

With Pittsburgh looking to add veteran pros around soon-to-be second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett, Robinson will look to rebound off a down 2022 season back in the state where he became a top-tier prospect at Penn State.

The Steelers Gave Up Very Little for Allen Robinson

With the trade officially official, ESPN staff writer Brooke Pryor broke down the deal for both sides and explained how much of Robinson’s $15.25 million contract the Los Angeles Rams agreed to pay in order to get the deal done.

“The Steelers receive Robinson and a seventh-round draft pick (No. 251) for Pittsburgh’s seventh-round pick (No. 234), sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter,” Pryor wrote. “The Rams will pay $10.25 million of Robinson’s $15.25 million guaranteed salary for the 2023 season, and the Steelers will pay the remaining $5 million, according to the sources.”

In the end, the Rams saved $5 million and moved up 17 spots in the seventh round by trading Robinson to the Steelers. Will that decision make the Rams better in 2023? Only time will tell, but Rams fans do not appear to be particularly happy with the deal so far.

The 49ers Almost Faced Allen Robinson in January

Writing an expansive profile on the Rams’ roster transformation in September of 2022, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic let it be known that, before he signed a contract with LA, Robinson almost landed with Pennsylvania’s other professional football team, the Philadelphia Eagles, had it not been for a crucial video call with Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford.

“Late that Wednesday night, the Rams called Robinson,” Rodrigue wrote. “He was deep in talks with the Eagles, two sources told The Athletic, but the Rams asked him to postpone his final decision long enough to get on a video call with McVay and Stafford. The coach and quarterback showed Robinson clips of Beckham that they had hustled to put together for the occasion showing how the passing offense eventually evolved around him and Kupp.”

Had everything remained the same, and Robinson turned in the same production Philadelphia got from A.J. Brown, the wide receiver they traded for during the 2022 NFL draft, the 49ers may have ended up facing the PSU product in the NFC Championship game back in January. Now, the team will still have to face off against Robinson in 2023, but only once, as the Niners have the Steelers on their schedule this fall.