The Bears will allow Allen Robinson to reach free agency without a franchise tag (Twitter link via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com). The Bears cuffed the wide receiver last year at a rate of $17.9M, but they’ll pass on the chance to do it again with a 20% bump.
Poles has told reporters that he wants to “be selective in free agency” — apparently, that means moving on from Robinson, a talented wide receiver that has clashed with team brass throughout the years. His dissatisfaction with Matt Nagy was apparent last year and his production was nowhere near his once-stellar work. In 2021, Robinson tallied 38 catches for 410 yards and one touchdown, down from his 1,100-yard seasons in 2019 and 2020.
Now, Robinson has a chance at a fresh start and an opportunity to pick his next quarterback. He’s unlikely to get something in the range of $20M — the would-be value of his 2022 tag — but he should still be able to land somewhere around $15M/year on average. Despite his challenging 2021, a three-year, $45M deal doesn’t seem out of reach for Robinson given his overall track record.
Meanwhile, the rest of the wide receiver market is starting to take shape. The Buccaneers are still working on a long-term deal with Chris Godwin, but they plan to franchise tag him if that doesn’t come to fruition. Meanwhile, the Packers are prepared to do the same for Davante Adams, though we might not know for sure until the 4:00 p.m. ET deadline Tuesday.
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