NEWSLETTER
In a wide-ranging interview with the Adam Hoge and Adam Jahns podcast, Chicago Bears GM Ryan Pace weighed in on the state of the team ahead of the start of training camp. You’ll want to give the pod a full listen when you get a chance, because there is plenty of meaty stuff into which we can sink our chops.
But in the meantime, I want to take a moment to focus on what Pace had to say regarding a potential extension for Allen Robinson:
“Look, we know how good a player Allen Robinson is. And we know how important he is to our team. Not just a great player, but a great teammate and a huge part of our culture. We recognize that.”
I know Robinson is great. You, the reader, know that, too. And for what it’s worth, so does Pace. Above all, that’s what matters most. If the GM doesn’t get it, nothing else matters.
And to think, I was beginning to think that the Bears might’ve forgotten how awesome Robinson is on the field (and off of it, too). So when Robinson said there hadn’t been talks, it raised my levels of concern to new heights. However, Pace did his best to try to calm those worries by referencing how the team is tight-lipped when it comes to extensions.
“You guys know how we are when we get to talking about contracts and extensions,” Pace explained. “We’re usually pretty quiet on that front. It will be no different with this.”
Awww, shucks. I thought it would be different this time around. Dadgumit. Kicks rocks.
Robinson is set to enter the final year of a three-year contract he signed in 2018. And in case you couldn’t tell by our coverage of his situation, we think Robinson is worthy of an extension. Ideally, it rewards him for what he has done, pays him for what he projects to do, and keeps the Bears’ best offensive player from testing free agency.
In a normal year, we would talk about time being on the Bears’ side. Training camp just opened its doors and the season doesn’t kick off until September. And because Pace’s has a history of getting in-house extensions done, I’m willing give some leeway. However, 2020 has been anything but normal. That gives me pause. But at least the combination of recent history (Hicks, Leno, Goldman, Whitehair) and Pace’s admission that he knows how much Robinson means to this team can give us hope.
