The Chicago Bears look as though they’ll lose Allen Robinson in 2021.
Sunday, the Chicago Bears ended a season which fell far below expectations for many reasons, and they did so in an unsurprising manner. The Bears were taken down by the New Orleans Saints in the NFC’s final Wildcard game of the weekend, and now they face some big questions.
One of the biggest questions as the Bears go into their offseason is whether or not they will have the services of their number one wide receiver Allen Robinson. This past season, Robinson put on a show and had one of the better years of his career.
Despite dealing with subpar quarterback play as he’s done throughout his career, Robinson posted a career-best 102 receptions in 2020 which went for 1,250 yards and six scores. Whether it was Mitchell Trubisky or Nick Foles, Robinson was the go-to target all season long.
But, prior to the 2020 season, Chicago had an opportunity to lock him down with a contract extension. Fans and even teammates of Robinson were attempting to make it happen via social media, too, with the “#ExtendAR” movement.
A day after their season ended, the Chicago Bears heard something a bit unsettling from Robinson.
NBCS Chicago Bears insider JJ Stankevitz had quite the quote pulled from the Bears’ wide receiver today:
Sadly, Robinson is exactly right. If the Bears wanted to avoid any issues this offseason, they would have locked him up prior to September as they do with other players often. Robinson could be in a much different position than he is now, had the Bears done so.
But, Robinson is now entering free agency likely wanting to play for a team that features better quarterback play — meaning, just about any team but the Bears.
He’s dealt with poor quarterback play all of his career. He’s also dealt with subpar offenses, as a whole, for much of his career dating back to his days in Jacksonville. Frankly, who could blame him if he wanted out of Chicago at this point?
Robinson is in the thick of his prime and could be a huge difference-maker for a contending team, or even a team with an up-and-coming young quarterback.
Chicago could very well slap the franchise tag on Robinson, thus creating what will be quite the situation over the offseason. How would Robinson respond to the tag? My gut says that it wouldn’t go over well, and Robinson could end up demanding to be dealt.
Regardless, we’re only on Day 1 of the Bears offseason and things are already interesting. But, what else would one expect? It is the Bears, and they always have some type of burning question it seems. Beyond Robinson, let’s see what happens at quarterback and the coaching staff in the coming days.
