Chicago Bears mishandling Allen Robinson situation
The Chicago Bears must re-sign their star wide receiver.
What in the name of George S. Halas is going on up in the hallways of the Chicago Bears headquarters bearing his name? It’s a legitimate question to ask considering the latest development (or lack thereof) in the saga of how the Bears have, frankly, mishandled the Allen Robinson situation.
Granted, when Robinson signed as a free agent just before the 2018 season, the Bears we’re taking a chance on him. ARob was coming off of surgery to repair a torn ACL which caused him to miss all but one game in 2017. He was also two seasons removed from his incredible 1,400 yard receiving season of 2015.
However, it’s just as important to point out that Robinson also took a chance on the Bears. While the Bears compensates him well for his services, Robinson has other offers to play for more established quarterbacks, most notably the Green Bay Packers.
Instead, Robinson chose Chicago and an unknown second-year quarterback who was coming off a season that saw him throw a grand total of seven passes in a game. Despite that, and the Bears well-documented struggles with attracting top-tier offensive free agents, Robinson came to the Windy City.
Since then, he has been the best offensive player on the Bears by a mile, a leader on and off the field, and one of the most dependable players on the entire roster.
In his first year, he caught 55 passes for 754 yards and four touchdowns. In 2018, despite being the only legitimate threat on offense and a lackluster performance from the quarterback position, Robinson hauled in 98 passes for 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns.
Despite being Mitchell Trubisky’s security blanket and favorite target, Robinson put up incredible numbers even though he was the focal point of opposing defenses.
Robinson, in just a couple of years, is cementing himself as one of the best wide receivers the Bears have ever had. He’s also expressed a desire to remain in Chicago after his contract expires after this season.
Irrespective of all those things, the Bears apparently feel no sense of urgency to negotiate an extension with Robinson, who revealed on ESPN 1000 yesterday that the Bears haven’t even approached him about a contract extension.
If that’s true, and there’s no reason to believe it isn’t, you can add it to the ever-growing list of missteps by Ryan Pace. Perhaps there are legitimate reasons why they haven’t made a firm offer, for example, salary cap uncertainty.
Nevertheless, to not have even approached him regarding an extension or to express their desire to have Robinson back is an embarrassment. Players, especially professionals like Robinson, want respect and transparency. Frankly, with what Robinson has done for this team in a short amount of time, he deserves both.
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Consequently, it’s imperative that Pace get in a room with Robinson and his agent and express their commitment to bringing him back and assure ARob that once whatever is holding up the negotiation process is resolved, those discussions will begin in earnest. If he doesn’t, he risks losing one of the brightest spots on this Bears team in recent memory.