While the Chicago Bears’ offseason has been dominated by quarterback trade discussions, another important issue is the future of star receiver Allen Robinson, who is slated to hit the free agent market later this month.
Given the Bears and Robinson haven’t had contract discussions since last September, there wasn’t a whole lot of optimism about them suddenly getting a deal done. Which naturally gave way to the assumption that Chicago will likely slap the franchise tag on Robinson ahead of the March 9 deadline.
With the franchise tag looming, everyone was curious as to what general manager Ryan Pace would have to say about Robinson’s future in Chicago when he met with the media on Tuesday. Although, to be fair, no one expected Pace to show his hand.
And while Pace didn’t say much in his 30 minute press conference, the one thing you could take away was that he sounded like someone that has every intention of keeping Robinson with the Bears in 2021.
“We have a ton of respect for Allen,” Pace said. “We have to do what’s best for the Bears too. We consider everything. . . . No firm decision on that yet, but we know we have it at our disposal. . . . We want to keep our good players and Allen is a good player for us.”
Pace has a history for rewarding players in the past with a contract extension, and no one has earned an extension more than Robinson over these last few seasons. He’s been far and away their best offensive player — posting back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons — and he’s been an incredible teammate and person off the field.
While there’s not much to be sure of heading into the 2021 season, there’s some encouragement that Robinson will be the Bears next season. Now, whether that’s with a contract extension or through the franchise tag remains to be seen.
