NEWSLETTER
Thinking about Allen Robinson’s delayed extension makes Bears fans itchy. And I get it. The idea of the team’s best and most consistent offensive player being a year from hitting free agency isn’t comfortable.
But if it’s any consolation, Robinson continues to make it known that he wants to remain with the Bears. And in a recent interview with David Kaplan, Robinson went as far as to say he wants to retire as a Bear.
Here’s the quote from NBC Sports Chicago:
“You know, I definitely understand that this isn’t my first time going into a new contract, so things definitely do take time. I understand the business of it. For Bears fans: I love the city of Chicago. From the day that I signed here, I said I wanted to retire a Bear. So everyone know where I stand on that. At the end of the day, I definitely think that’s something that has a possibility of getting done, but at the end of the day, it’s a business. There’s a lot that goes into it. We’ll see.”
Hearing “we’ll see” reminds me of the response I’d get when I asked for McDonald’s as a kid. “We’ll see” usually meant we were eating what was leftover at home. But Robinson is really clear in sharing his belief that it is a possibility that the extension gets done and he gets to continue to play for the Bears. That’s far more encouraging than a simple “we’ll see.”
If you are in search of a comforting thought, I can offer this as perspective: When it came down Kyle Long, Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, and Cody Whitehair being in line for an extension, the Bears and the player were able to come to a deal. In the most recent cases of Hicks, Goldman, and Whitehair, they came in the days before Week 1 of the regular season. Heck, Hicks’ deal came together the Saturday before the 2017 season-opener. Through that lens, I’m not all too concerned about a deal not being done. Because recent history has shown us that when two sides want to come to a deal, it happens.
Again, there’s no rush to get an extension done. But also … let’s get it done already.
