Despite being in a contract dispute with the Chicago Bears, wide receiver Allen Robinson reported to camp as scheduled and practiced like any other day.
When Mitchell Trubisky threw that touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham on the final play of the playoff game against the New Orleans Saints, we all expected to see changes throughout the Chicago Bears roster.
One of the changes had to do with wide receiver Allen Robinson. Robinson is basically the Chicago Bears’ aerial attack. He led the team in receiving yards in each of his three seasons. In the last two of them, he amassed over 1,000 yards in each. He became only the fifth receiver in franchise history to accomplish that feat.
Despite all of that, Robinson was frustrated. Entering last season (the final one of his contract), he expected to agree to a new contract. The Chicago Bears have a history of re-signing their players to new contracts when entering their final seasons. Robinson expected the same treatment.
That didn’t happen, however. The Bears played hardball with him and, a couple of weeks into the season, they cut off negotiations. That left Robinson very upset. There were rumors of him not wanting anything to do with the Bears anymore.
Robinson went out and had another stellar season, however.
Would Robinson sign the franchise tender?
Entering the offseason, the Bears had the option of putting the franchise tag on Robinson. When asked about the tag, he stated that he disliked the tag. He wanted a long-term deal and was adamant about it.
The Bears did the expected and placed the franchise tag on Robinson. There were reports that Robinson had no plans on signing the tag.
Chicago Bears WR Allen Robinson has zero plans to sign his franchise tag in the immediate future.
(Via @JFowlerESPN on ESPN)
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) March 14, 2021
Again, Robinson didn’t let the negativity affect him and he ended up signing the tag quickly.
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Will Robinson show up to camp?
It seems that the fashionable thing to do this year is not showing up to mandatory camp. Several players, most notably the hated Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, opted to not show up in camp due to some dispute or another. They did so despite facing a hefty fine for not showing up.
Many people felt that Robinson would be the next player to not show up to camp. That was not the case, though. He not only showed up to camp but also practiced like it was just another day and there were no problems.
It was a beautiful thing watching Robinson catch passes from rookie quarterback Justin Fields. Yes, Andy Dalton might be the starter now, but Fields will eventually take over. When he does, it’ll look darn great to see him completing passes to Robinson. That is the dream for Chicago Bears fans.
Signing Robinson is should still be the Bears’ top priority
What is the common theme running throughout this entire saga? It is Robinson’s professionalism. Yes, the negotiations went bad and he was upset. Despite reports, his agent came out and said Robinson never asked to be traded. He kept playing as well as he ever did.
When many expected Robinson to not sign the franchise tag, he did it. Some expected the Bears to trade him during the draft. He always kept quiet and didn’t make any waves.
Now, people expected him to skip camp. He did not do that and was just one of the guys when he showed up. He didn’t sulk and wasn’t upset. He was a professional.
#Bears WR Allen Robinson was back in action at veteran minicamp Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/R25lHucbD1
— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) June 15, 2021
Robinson’s attitude is exactly what any team wants from their star players. Those guys should be the leaders in the locker room. Robinson is a leader with his actions both on and off the field. He speaks to the younger players and helps them to not only better players but also better professionals.
There isn’t a more professional player than Robinson. The Chicago Bears need to realize that and get a long-term deal done with him as quickly as they can.