NEWSLETTER
Allen Robinson caught nine passes for 123 yards in Sunday’s win against the Texans. He even scored a touchdown, his third in two games and sixth this season.
But this one was for the record-books:
https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1338211775087521793
Robinson surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving barrier on Sunday, which is quite the accomplishment. This marks the third time in his career Robinson has broken past 1,000 receiving yards — and it’s his second consecutive year doing it as a member of the Bears. This type of production from Chicago’s receivers doesn’t come around often. And that Robinson did it with three games to spare is as impressive as getting to 1,000 yards in the first place.
This is the type of company Robinson joins with his most recent accomplishment:
WR @AllenRobinson just went over 1,000 yards receiving for the season to become the fifth Bears player to post back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns. He joins C. Conway (1994-95), M. Booker (2001-02), B. Marshall (2012-13) & A. Jeffery (2013-14).
— Chicago Bears (@BearsPR) December 13, 2020
Hey, now! This is a pretty exclusive list. And sure, it says a lot about how behind in the times the Bears are when it comes to building an offense. But it also says so much about Robinson’s excellence. Racking up consecutive 1,000-yard seasons should be every receiver’s goal. However, not every wide out’s path is easy. And when you realize Robinson is catching passes from Mitchell Trubisky, Chase Daniel, and Nick Foles to get to this point, it’s all the more impressive.
Which brings us back to the idea of extending Robinson’s contract. We’ve been discussing this since December 2019, and the Bears still haven’t made anything happen. That’s disappointing on so many levels. So while I don’t want to re-litigate the last 12 months of discussion, I want to offer up a parallel thought.
Contract extensions shouldn’t be given out willy-nilly. Not in a salary capped sport. And not when we’re still uncertain about the ramifications of what a global pandemic has done to the league’s financial landscape. HOWEVER, what remains as true now as it was then is that Robinson is the type of player whose worthy of an extension. Robinson, 27, is still in the prime of his career. He continues to put top-notch numbers, all while playing with a less-than-ideal quarterbacking situation. Robinson runs every route on the tree and from every spot in the formation. Oh, and he blocks, too. And on top of that, his charitable work in the community is noteworthy. In the end, all the boxes are checked. What else could one want?
I suppose the good news is that the final three regular season games of the 2020 season don’t have to be Robinson’s last with the Bears. They could hand out the Franchise or Transition Tag with the intent to continue negotiations. Or at minimum, keep Robinson around for another year at the price of a top-10 receiver.
In any case, Robinson’s work should be commended. More than that, it should be enjoyed. Ryan Pace’s treks in free agency haven’t always been fruitful. But signing Robinson goes down as one of his best decisions.
