The Kansas City Chiefs continue to prioritize their own players in free agency. According to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, the Chiefs will bring back WR Demarcus Robinson on a one-year deal.
This comes as a bit of a surprise as Robinson was reported as a player that would draw interest from a number of teams in free agency, including the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. Herbie Teope of the Kansas City Star reports that there was outside interest in Robinson. The Chiefs kept a line of communication open once Robinson hit the free-agent market and that resulted in his return.
Robinson managed to get a nice contract in Kansas City, with the team taking full advantage of the veteran salary benefit in the new CBA. He’ll get nearly $2.3 million fully-guaranteed but only around $1 million will count toward the salary cap for the Chiefs according to Pelissero’s report.
Robinson was a fourth-round draft pick by Kansas City in 2016. He worked his way up, developing good chemistry with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes when he ran the scout team in 2017. The two have connected on some of Mahomes’ signature plays, specifically the ones he makes when the called play breaks down.
In 2019, Robinson saw his best season as a professional, setting career highs in receptions (32), yardage (449) and games started (10). He also matched his career-high in touchdown receptions (4). He played the second-most snaps of any WR on the team with Sammy Watkins edging him out by five snaps.
Robinson’s return is significant because it gives the Chiefs another reliable and familiar option in the receiver room. That’ll be important this offseason because of the potential for offseason training activities being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If they also keep Sammy Watkins, it’s entirely possible that Brett Veach won’t need to address the receiver position the draft, in what is considered to be a deep WR class.
