Convincing Allen Robinson To Stay Gets Harder By The Week

Robinson is in the prime of his career and deserves top-10 receiver money, but the Bears missed their chance to extend him in the offseason and play him on one of the worst offenses of the decade. With the NFL salary cap expected to drop to around $175 million next season, the Bears will have even less financial flexibility to retain him.

Allen Robinson is making $14 million in 2020, which ranks him as the 17th highest-paid receiver in the NFL according to Spotrac. The Bears argue he deserves top-10 receiver pay because his production ranks among the best at his position.

Robinson holds the highest catch percentage (62.9%) of any Bears wide receiver with over 300 targets and is arguably a top-five wide receiver in franchise history. If he keeps up his 2020 pace, he will move into seventh all-time in total receiving yards for a Bears wide receiver.

Alshon Jeffery, the all-time leader in receiving yards in Bears history with 4,549 yards, was allowed to walk in free agency without an extension or franchise tag. Brandon Marshall, sixth all-time in Bears receiving yards, was traded to the Jets and immediately put up over 1,500 yards the following season with his new team.

If the Bears place the franchise tag on Robinson, he has the option to sit out and demand a trade. Whether he would actually do that remains unknown, as Robinson has shown the demeanor of a consummate professional and ultimate teammate throughout the 2020 season.