Allen Robinson had been looming as one of the top free-agent wide receivers. He and the Bears now have until July 15 to agree a new long-term deal
By AP
Last Updated: 09/03/21 11:30pm
Chicago Bears have placed the franchise tag on Allen Robinson – AP images
The Chicago Bears placed the franchise tag on star receiver Allen Robinson on Tuesday, setting up a potentially messy situation with their most consistent playmaker on offense.
The sides have until July 15 to reach a multi-year deal otherwise Robinson will play next season for approximately $16.4m, assuming he signs the tag.
Robinson agreed to a three-year, $42m contract when he joined Chicago in 2018 after playing his first four seasons in Jacksonville.
He is coming off one of his best seasons yet having posted a career-high 102 catches for 1,250 yards, a haul second only to the 1,400 he had with the Jaguars in his 2015 Pro Bowl season.
Robinson has 3,151 yards and 17 touchdowns since joining the Bears and 5,999 yards for 39 touchdowns in his career, despite lacking the company of an elite quarterback.
“Hey, we love Allen Robinson,” general manager Ryan Pace said recently. “He’s a great player for us. We know that. And not just the player but the teammate, the professional that he is. Again, the franchise tag is an option for us.
“It doesn’t mean we’re necessarily going to use that. But we want to keep our good players, and Allen is a good player for us.”
Robinson has made it clear he is no fan of the franchise tag, which limits players’ ability to sign elsewhere.
Teams who use it must tender a one-year contract for a figure based on the average of the five highest salaries at the position or for 120 percent of the player’s prior years salary, whichever is higher.
Those teams also have the right to match any offer a franchise player receives. And if they decline, they get two first-round draft picks in return.
Robinson previously hinted he wasn’t a fan of the franchise tag (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
“That’s a tough situation man, because, for myself, I believe I’m deserving of a long-term deal,” he said recently on Cris Collinsworth’s podcast.
“Not only as a player, but as a person who is involved in the culture. You know, I’m a person who you know, I feel like I’ve helped build Chicago’s culture. I feel like wherever, whether that’s Chicago or somewhere else, wherever my next stop may be, I think I will be a contributing factor to that culture. Again, for myself, that’s a significant value.”
The Bears made the playoffs despite going 8-8 in the regular season for the second year in a row, then got knocked out in a convincing wild-card loss at New Orleans. Besides re-signing Robinson, they also need a starting quarterback.
Mitchell Trubisky is a free agent after the Bears decided not to exercise their fifth-year option for 2021 prior to last season. The former No 2 overall draft pick got benched in favour of Super Bowl 52 MVP Nick Foles – acquired from Jacksonville a year ago to push him – during a Week Three comeback win at Atlanta.
Trubisky returned to the lineup in late November and played better down the stretch. Foles, who struggled, is the only quarterback the Bears have under contract for next season.
