Getty Allen Robnson stretches for a catch against New Orleans.
The Detroit Lions have a long way to go before they start thinking about free agency, but in the blink of an eye, the period will be here and the team will be looking for big moves to turn around their fortunes.
What should the Lions look to do when free agency opens, and which player is a must-sign for the team? That’s a hard question for some to answer at this point given the team, but it isn’t a hard answer for Pro Football Focus and writer Sam Monson.
According to Monson, the Lions need to go after Chicago Bears’ wideout Allen Robinson this offseason and sign him to a contract. In a piece breaking down the one free agent every team should go for, Monson selected Robinson as Detroit’s answer.
“Assuming the Lions don’t keep Kenny Golladay, they need to replace him. And Allen Robinson might be the best receiver available in free agency.
Robinson was the No. 5-graded receiver at PFF this season, posting an 88.3 overall mark of 88.3 that tied for the best of his career despite a combination of Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles throwing him the football. Robinson has consistently been a top-10 receiver with no viable quarterback play during his NFL career, and he’s still just 27 years old. He had just one drop on 157 targets this past season.”
Robinson is sure-handed and solid, and a player that might make a ton of sense for the Lions in the event they lose a ton of players from wideout this year. He also offers the advantage of being a home town player as well, which would be pleasing to the fans.
Allen Robinson Stats
While in the NFL, there’s no question that Robinson has been a game breaking receiver and a player capable of changing the game at the position. Born and raised in Detroit and just 27, Robinson is a stud player and has 5,999 receiving yards to his credit in addition to 39 scores. He started his career in college at Penn State, and then was a second-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He departed for Chicago in free agency ahead of the 2018 season, and has been a solid pass catcher for the team since.
This season, Robinson was embroiled in a contract controversy in Chicago and could be looking for a way out this offseason in free agency. Detroit would offer him a hometown landing where he could continue to stick it to his former team, which might be mighty appealing to the wide receiver.
Wideout Poised to Be Huge Offseason Need for Lions
Detroit could have a major offseason need at the spot of wideout. The Lions have free agents in Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola, and while they could use the franchise tag on Kenny Golladay, the star wideout could escape to free agency as well. That doesn’t leave much else for the team at the spot, and that could be a problem whether or not Matthew Stafford comes back in 2021 or the team elects to go with another quarterback.
A smart approach for the front office would be to consider all options at wideout, and perhaps moving on a player like Robinson would make sense given his Detroit roots and production. He’s been a thorn in Detroit’s side playing in Chicago, and bringing him back home could make sense for the team.
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