Getty Bears WR Allen Robinson
The Chicago Bears have done plenty of things right this offseason, including drafting Justin Fields and addressing their offensive line issues. The team has failed in a big way when it comes to its top wide receiver, however.
After contract talks with wideout Allen Robinson stalled last fall, they never really picked up again, and general manager Ryan Pace couldn’t manage to secure the services of the best offensive player his team has had over the last three seasons.
“Talks have been pretty slow,” NFL insider Jeremy Fowler said about the situation with A-Rob on a July 11 episode of SportsCenter, via Alex Seats of 247 Sports. “They’re going to leave the door open for talks in the final days and hours and sort of hope for the best, but there simply has not been much momentum. I’m told Robinson is ready to try to put up big numbers this year and try to smash free agency in 2022. He’s only 27 years old going on a third contract.”
Top NFL insider Ian Rapoport confirmed on July 13 that a deal won’t be getting done by the July 15 deadline, so Robinson’s future in Chicago is more bleak than ever.
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A-Rob Sends Cryptic Tweet About ‘Home’
With questions swirling about his future, Robinson Tweeted the following on July 11, shortly after Fowler appeared on SportsCenter:
“Home is where the heart is.”
Home is where the heart is!
Alrighty then. What Robinson was referencing or to which place he was referring, he didn’t say. A native of Detroit, Michigan, A-Rob was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014, where he spent his first four years.
Whether he was hinting he’d like to play for Jags’ new coach Urban Meyer and catch passes from No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence will probably remain a mystery, but it’s unlikely he wants to go to Detroit to play for the Lions. The most likely scenario is that A-Rob was just waxing philosophical or having some fun at the expense of fans on Twitter — who weighed in with thoughts of their own:
@TallJagsFan @AllenRobinson Don’t worry he’s got a better QB
@AllenRobinson Aka Jacksonville, where you need to come back to
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Robinson Seems Ready for Anything
“At the end of the day, it’s out of my control. It’s not what I can control,” Robinson said last month about his current contract situation with the Bears. Most recently, when he was asked about the situation on NFL Total Access June 30, A-Rob said this:
“I think the biggest thing like, again, like I said, just about going out there this year, having fun, making plays, trying to help this team get back into the playoffs. I think that’s the main thing. That’s what I’ve set out during the course of this offseason. Every time I get on the field, into my workouts and things like that, it’s how can I get better? How can I help put this team, how can I help put this offense in a better situation than we were in last year?”
With Andy Dalton and Justin Fields under center and a re-vamped o-line, the Bears should unquestionably be better on offense. The question is: Can Chicago persuade Robinson to sign a completely new contract next year after bungling talks with him so badly this time around? That seems highly unlikely at this point.
Whether A-Rob would even want to return is key here, and while another tag scenario is possible for the Bears next year, it’s more likely they’ll look for talent elsewhere at the position.
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