Given the report yesterday that indicated the Bears were targeting free agent wide receiver Sammy Watkins, which dropped only hours before word broke that the Bears had agreed to a deal with free agent wide receiver Allen Robinson, I understand folks who got really excited about the possibility that the Bears could be going after both of the top receivers on the market.
But, in retrospect, it was always more likely that the Bears were targeting the two as alternatives, got the guy they wanted, and then Watkins was going to move on. Which he did:
The top free agent receiver is off the market: The #Chiefs are planning to sign WR Sammy Watkins to a 3-year deal, sources say. KC’s offense lands a huge weapon.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2018
The #Chiefs locked in on WR Sammy Watkins late last night and the deal is expected to be worth roughly $16M per year over 3 years, sources say.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2018
Interestingly, a $48 million deal for Watkins would be a bit more than the $42 million Robinson is set to get from the Bears. We’ll see how the guarantee shakes out for Watkins, as Robinson is expected to get about $25 million in guarantees. Those of us around here preferred Robinson to Watkins, all things considered, even coming off the ACL injury. And if he winds up costing less than Watkins? All the better.
Now we will see if the Bears are able to successfully move on to parts two and three of the pass-catching dream scenario – wide receiver Albert Wilson and tight end Trey Burton – after landing Robinson.