Chicago Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson proved he's worth every penny of the three-year, $42 million deal Ryan Pace signed him to in 2018. The question that now presents itself to the Bears organization is whether Robinson's earned a mega, multi-year second contract with the club.
Bears fans certainly think the answer is yes, and according to a recent NFL.com ranking of the top 10 players most deserving of a new contract, Pace better be ready to pay up.
Robinson checks in at No. 8.
Robinson is the only player I'm looking at for this article who is seeking a third contract, as he's entering the final year of a three-season deal with the Bears. His average of $14 million dollars over each of the past three seasons ranks 14th at the position, per Over The Cap, which is a higher ranking than my projection -- but even so, he's likely undervalued. How? Only 64.9 percent of Robinson's career targets have been catchable, the fifth-lowest rate among the 82 receivers with 250-plus targets since 2014, per PFF. In other words, QB play has been a limiting factor for a receiver who's spent his career catching passes from Blake Bortles and Mitchell Trubisky.
It's pretty incredible Robinson's managed to be so productive despite being victimized by such terrible quarterback play.
Robinson had 98 catches for 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns in 2019. Let that sink in for a minute. Robinson had nearly 100 catches and came close to 1,200 yards while playing through Mitch Trubisky's regression and no running game to take any of the defense's attention away from him. Yet, he still played at a WR1 level.
The Bears are playing with fire if they don't extend Robinson before the season starts. If he produces at or near the same level he did in 2019, his services will be in high demand. And with wide receiver annual salaries ballooning near $20 million, Chicago will have a hard time keeping him in town.
Here's where Allen Robinson ranks among players who deserve new contracts originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
