Chicago Bears rumors thus far this offseason have focused on the quarterback position. They are said to be in on both Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson as the Bears look to upgrade from Mitchell Trubisky under center.
However, there’s another big-name player who will obviously have a major impact on the Bears’ success moving forward. That’s none other than star 27-year-old wide receiver Allen Robinson.
An impending free agent, Robinson was the subject of trade rumors ahead of the November deadline. There seems to be very little chance he returns to Chicago after recording 102 receptions for 1,250 yards for the Bears a season ago. With that said, Chicago might not let Robinson get away for free.
With contract extension talks between Robinson and the Bears non-existent since September, the franchise tag becomes an option. From there, anything can happen.
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Chicago Bears open to franchising, trading Allen Robinson
“That would certainly seem to bring the (franchise) tag into play,” NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero noted. “Whether it is the Bears to try to do an extension, whether it is setting up Robinson to play on the tag, or maybe even a tag-and-trade scenario.”
A tag-and-trade scenario is not something we see every day. However, it could very well come into play here. Chicago enables Robinson to pick a handful of teams he wants to be traded to. In turn, he’s not forced to play with the Bears under the franchise tag and could sign a contract extension with his new team.
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We saw a similar situation occur between fellow wide receiver Jarvis Landry and the Miami Dolphins back in 2018. While it was clear the free agent was not going to return to South Beach, Miami wanted to get something back in return for Landry.
It ultimately traded him to the Cleveland Browns after placing the franchise tag on the receiver. In return, the Dolphins received a fourth and seventh-round pick. Landry then signed a five-year, $75.5 million extension with Cleveland.
As it relates to a potential Allen Robinson tag-and-trade scenario, he’d likely net the Bears more than Miami got for Landry. That has to be an attractive option for Chicago general manager Ryan Pace.
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Expect Chicago Bears rumors to ramp up as it relates to wide receiver
If the Bears are forced to move on from Robinson, they’ll have to find a receiver in free agency. What players might be interested in joining Chicago will depend heavily on the quarterback situation. That’s a given.
Darnell Mooney was the Bears’ second-leading pass catcher from the wide receiver position with 61 receptions a season ago. Needless to say, Chicago must find more receiver help in free agency.
The good news here is that the Bears will have a ton of options. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Curtis Samuel, Marvin Jones, Corey Davis, T.Y. Hilton, Will Fuller and A.J. Green are all proven receivers set to hit the open market.
The bad news? Chicago currently finds itself $577,000 over the projected 2021 NFL salary cap with the quarterback situation still unsettled. Yeah, Pace and Co. have a lot of work ahead of them this offseason.
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