Getty Allen Robinson got candid when speaking about the Bears' 2021 offense.
It’s no surprise to hear wide receiver Allen Robinson has been less than pleased during his 2021 campaign with the Chicago Bears.
Robinson had the worst statistical season of his eight-year career in 2021, save for 2017, when he missed the entire season with a torn ACL. A-Rob finished with just 38 catches for 410 yards and a touchdown in 12 games during the regular season, which was startling considering he had consecutive 1,000-yard+ seasons and 98 or more catches in each of the previous two years.
The Bears struggled on offense this past season, with rookie quarterback Justin Fields taking the reins from veteran Andy Dalton after just a few weeks. Matt Nagy — who was fired as head coach at season’s end — was frequently criticized for his inability to scheme his receivers open. Nagy was also called out for his inability to air it out and take shots down the field, which is something both Dalton and Fields are capable of doing.
With Nagy gone and Robinson, who is a free agent, very likely playing elsewhere next season, the wideout is sharing his thoughts on Nagy’s offense in a rather unfiltered fashion.
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Robinson Details Frustrations With Bears’ Offense
“It’s crazy how successful deep crosses and special routes are,” Robinson tweeted on January 16, during the Wild Card game featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs. Robinson was referencing a deep ball that came from Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, who runs the same kind of offense Nagy failed to install with any kind of success in Chicago.
It’s crazy how successful deep crosses and special routes are #KCvsPT
In a January 14 appearance on “Keyshawn, J Will, and Max,” A-Rob got into specifics and gave details about his 2021 season, noting he was frustrated with his lack of involvement in Chicago’s offense.
“For me personally, it was extremely frustrating. It was one of the more frustrating seasons I’ve had, especially stepping into the season coming off back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons. And as I’m going through the season and I see some of the game plans, seeing how I’m not really being involved, seeing how I’m not doing the things I have in the past,” Robinson said, adding:
“Once I kind of came to terms with how I was being used and what was going on, it was me just trying to focus on being productive.”
Robinson also revealed that after the Bears placed the franchise tag on him in the spring, things changed slightly, particularly between himself and Nagy.
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Robinson Said He & Nagy Didn’t Speak for 6 Months Last Year
“At that point in time, once I was franchise tagged, throughout the course of the year, it just felt a little bit different,” Robinson said, noting his relationship with Nagy was virtually non-existent for half of the year.
“As far as my involvement and things like that, from the time last season ended, I think I talked to coach Nagy for the first time in June or July, whatever day mandatory minicamp was, it was June 17th. That was the first time I had talked to him since the flight after the Saints loss the year prior (in January). Things like that coming into the season were a little unsettling for me, especially with that being my guy since the time I stepped foot in Chicago and us having open communication and things like that. That’s kind of the stuff that started early on in the season.”
It sounds as though things had soured between A-Rob and Nagy before the regular season had even begun, and only got worse from there. With free agency around the corner, Robinson will likely be wearing a different jersey next year.
Despite his (very legitimate) issues with Nagy, A-Rob also let Bears fans and the city of Chicago know he has nothing but love for them:
No lie, I got mad love for the city of Chicago!! 💙🧡
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