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Update: After passing his April 19 physical, the Steelers’ trade with the Rams for receiver Allen Robinson is official, according to ESPN’s Dianna Russini.
Omar Khan isn’t done yet. Nine days from the NFL draft, Khan and the Pittsburgh Steelers are hammering out a trade deal with the Los Angeles Rams for former Pro Bowl receiver Allen Robinson, pending an April 19 physical. He was limited to 10 games in 2022, spending the final seven weeks on injured reserve due to a foot injury.
The trade news was first reported on April 18 by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Should the Steelers like what they see from the 29-year-old, he’ll move from the 213 to the 412 amid offseason workouts.
Robinson is in the middle of a three-year, $46.5 million contract, signed in March of 2022, with $15.2 million guaranteed in 2023. The Rams have already paid $5.25 million of his 2023 salary in a roster bonus due in March.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported trade terms and are a no-risk move for Steelers: Pittsburgh swaps its original seventh-round pick (No. 234) for Robinson and trades down 17 spots to the Rams’ seventh-round pick (No. 251). Los Angeles has agreed to pay $10.25 million of Robinson’s salary while Pittsburgh pays the remaining $5 million. Early reports show the Steelers now have $5.62 million in cap space, most of which will go to incoming rookies. They could restructure some contracts (T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick) to offer breathing room.
How Allen Robinson Could Fit in With the Steelers
This is certainly an intriguing move that seemingly came out of nowhere. After sending Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears in November 2022 and not immediately addressing the receiver position in free agency, many speculated that Claypool’s spot might be replaced with a rookie via the NFL draft. While they could still snag one in the later rounds, it’s no longer the priority it once was.
There’s no question the Steelers need a slot receiver, and at 6-foot-3, 211-pounds, Allen Robinson will likely be that guy. Though he’s played primarily at wideout, he has some experience in the slot. According to Pro Football Focus (advanced stats are behind a paywall), of his 4,967 snaps, more than half were on the left. From his 1,664 snaps in the slot, 486 were slot left and 394 were slot right.
Training camp — just three months away — will better dictate what fans can expect from Robinson.
Allen Robinson’s Brief Stint With the Rams
The Rams’ entire offense was out of sync after winning the 2021 Super Bowl, but like in Chicago, Allen Robinson was misused during his single season playing third fiddle to star Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson. Prior to the foot surgery that cut short his season, he only had 33 catches for 339 yards and 3 scores in 10 games (Pro Football Reference). The receiver is now eight seasons removed from his one Pro Bowl season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who selected him 61st overall in the 2014 NFL draft.
The Rams touted his talent and skillset after he first joined the team via 2022 free agency. “I think his route tree is extremely expanded from probably years ago, or maybe what we’ve had our other receivers do,” offensive coordinator Liam Coen said following a June 2022 minicamp practice.
Coen compared Robinson’s level of versatility to Kupp’s. “He can run a lot of routes that Cooper can, you know – some of those option routes and choice routes and things that we asked Cooper to do – because he just has an unbelievable ability to play underneath, himself,” Coen said.
Robinson has enjoyed three 1,000+ yard seasons over his nine-year career. If he can return to even a fraction of that production, he could be just what the Steelers and Kenny Pickett need to help reignite their passing game as a WR3.
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