At one point in time, the Chicago Bears were ready to make Allen Robinson one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL. He’d just had another terrific season in 2020, going for 1,250 yards and six touchdowns. Chicago wanted to make him a focal point of their offense moving forward and made strong offers to extend him. However, the wide receiver held his ground in talks, believing he deserved to be among the league’s highest-paid. Chicago wasn’t willing to go that high, so they placed him under the franchise tag.
What followed might be the most rapid decline a star receiver has ever experienced in NFL history. Robinson managed only 410 yards and one touchdown that subsequent season. It was such a massive letdown that Chicago didn’t bother trying to keep him when he became a free agent that spring. No big deal, right? He quickly signed with the defending champion Los Angeles Rams, intent on letting Matthew Stafford help reestablish his value. Instead, Robinson missed seven games and managed only 339 yards. A year later, he tried again in Pittsburgh, starting every game but only posting 280 yards.
Things may have finally hit rock bottom for him on Tuesday when the news broke that the New York Giants had cut him.
Remember, the Giants aren’t exactly swimming in good wide receivers. There were serious questions about their depth behind 6th overall pick Malik Nabers. If Robinson couldn’t crack that roster, it might be curtains for him. The guy is 31 years old. That isn’t ancient by wide receiver standards. Under normal conditions, he should still be able to produce at a respectable level. Yet he only managed three catches for 23 yards across three preseason games. It might be time to say the unfathomable words.
Allen Robinson is shot.
Whatever happened to him that season in 2021 seemed to shatter his confidence. The receiver hasn’t been the same since then. People need to study how that happened. It boggles the mind. No doubt Robinson has serious regrets about how things have played out. In hindsight, he probably should’ve accepted that extension from the Bears. Now, he might have to practically beg for a job.
