As complicated as Ryan Pace's job is preparing the Chicago Bears for an unprecedented NFL season with a slow opening to training camp at Halas Hall under threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, the unresolved future of Allen Robinson looms as a major piece of business.
The general manager's job is always to balance present needs with shrewd planning for the future, and plotting for 2021 and beyond must include the team's most consistent offensive performer.
Large free-agent extensions have come at a trickle this offseason. The Bears paid free safety Eddie Jackson handsomely in January, just weeks after the end of last season, but that was before the coronavirus dropped a bomb on professional sports leagues.
In recent weeks, the Kansas City Chiefs signed quarterback Patrick Mahomes to a landmark contract and extended defensive tackle Chris Jones. The Los Angeles Chargers finalized a blockbuster deal for Joey Bosa to make him the highest-paid defensive player in the league in terms of annual average, a distinction Khalil Mack held for nearly 24 months before being leapfrogged by the Cleveland Browns' Myles Garrett earlier this summer and Bosa shortly thereafter.
But in general, business has been slow and many teams, including the Bears, waited until it was clear the league would open training camps to finalize rookie contracts with their draft classes.
Robinson, who turns 27 on Aug. 24, recently told WMVP-AM 1000 there has been no movement on a new contract as he prepares for the final year of his current deal at $13 million.
That is not necessarily a sign the Bears are uncertain about Robinson. Pace has finalized deals for a handful of players between the opening of training camp and start of the season in recent years, including left tackle Charles Leno and defensive linemen Eddie Goldman and Akiem Hicks.
But in terms of laying the groundwork for a new contract, the Bears have yet to take a step forward.
Complicating matters _ and everything is more convoluted by the pandemic _ is the massive revenue shortfall the NFL is projected to have even if a full season is played. It's impossible to pinpoint what the salary cap will look like in 2021 _ it's at $198.2 million this year _ but the NFL and NFLPA have agreed on $175 million as a floor for next season.
Using the 2021 cap floor as a guide, the Bears already are over that number with nearly $185 million committed to 43 players. A lot can change, and as Pace and the Bears have proven the cap can be manipulated, but they currently will have one of the most snug cap situations in the league, a result of continued overreliance on free agency to stock the roster.
But a new deal for Robinson, whom Pace has credited for not only his performance but value in the locker room, transcends other concerns. He's easily the best offensive free-agent signing Pace has made in six years, and the Bears cannot make the mistake of letting him walk as the Jacksonville Jaguars did in 2018. The good news is Pace indicated the downturn in revenue will not inhibit the franchise.
"We're still waiting on some of those (salary cap) details," he said Wednesday. "I think we know what the floor is for the cap in '21 and once we're given the parameters from the league in regards to the cap, we're all operating under the same rules, we get that. I just have a lot of confidence in (contract negotiator) Joey Laine and myself and how we're forecasting and how we're predicting for the future, and I'm confident we'll work through it. It's not going to prevent us from doing the things that we want to do."
Of course, absent an extension prior to the end of this season, the franchise tag would be an option for the Bears. Pace used the franchise tag once with wide receiver Alshon Jeffery in 2016. The wide receiver position was barren after Jeffery exited in 2017, which forced the Bears to spend big in free agency a year later to bring in Robinson and Taylor Gabriel. Pace used the transition tag with cornerback Kyle Fuller in 2018, a tactic that worked in the club's favor.
One benefit to an extension over the franchise tag would be the ability for the Bears to keep Robinson's salary cap figure lower in 2021. Another, of course, is making a valued player happy, something that should never be overlooked. Plus, if Robinson has a big year, assuming the NFL can play a full season, and the Bears get the improved quarterback play they are banking on, the price for negotiating a long-term deal while Robinson is tagged will only soar.
Getting a deal done now for Robinson, while negotiating off his performance for the club the last two seasons, makes most sense for a number of reasons even as the Bears grapple with the reality of lost revenue. Even if there are any fans at Soldier Field for home games, attendance will be drastically under the stadium's capacity.
The Bears will have tough decisions to make when forced to wrangle with the 2021 cap. They currently have 25 players set to become unrestricted free agents after the season _ more than 31% of the current 80-man roster _ meaning the team likely will be in the market for another large handful of one-year buys at minimum salaries.
Finding a way to complete negotiations with Robinson before the start of the season ought to make other business down the road somewhat easier _ and give Robinson a deserved payday.
