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NFL free agency update: Bears sign Allen Robinson

By Russell S. Baxter

FOXBORO, MA - AUGUST 10: Allen Robinson No. 15 of the Jacksonville Jaguars gestures in the first half during a preseason game with New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 10, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
FOXBORO, MA - AUGUST 10: Allen Robinson No. 15 of the Jacksonville Jaguars gestures in the first half during a preseason game with New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 10, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /
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One year after missing all but one game, wide receiver Allen Robinson is preparing to leave the Jacksonville Jaguars for the Chicago Bears.

The NFL free-agent frenzy has officially begun. It’s the frenzy part that’s official. As far as teams inking players to contracts, that becomes a reality on Wednesday at 4:00 pm ET. In any case, there was some news while some were sleeping.

A second-round draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014, the former Penn State University product was limited to just 10 games in his rookie season. He finished with 48 receptions for 548 yards and a pair of scores.

But it would be a far different story over the next two years for Robinson. He was targeted a whopping 151 times in each of those campaigns. He combined for an impressive 153 catches, good for 2,283 yards (14.9 average) and 20 touchdowns. Robinson earned Pro Bowl honors in 2015. He wound up with 80 grabs and 1,400 receiving yards while tying for the NFL lead with 14 TD receptions.

This past season, the 24-year-old performer went down with a knee injury (torn left ACL) in the team’s Week 1 victory at Houston. Robinson spent the season on injured reserve and there was a thought that the Jaguars may use the franchise tag to keep him off the free-agent market. That’s a moot point at the moment.

He now joins a club with promising quarterback Mitch Trubisky. And it’s also worth a mention that the Chicago Bears managed just 13 scores through the air in 2017 – tied for the fewest in the league with the Indianapolis Colts.

Contract details

Very early this morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed that the talented wide receiver would be joining the offensively-challenged Chicago Bears. Less than an hour later, colleague Josina Anderson had the terms of the deal: three years and $42 million.

National reaction

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Grade

The Chicago Bears’ aerial attack was in dire need of help following last season’s showing. Not one wide receiver on the team caught more than one touchdown pass in 2017. The addition of Robinson, who appears healthy after missing nearly all of this past season, gives new head coach Matt Nagy hope at the position and a big-play target for the club’s second-year quarterback.

Grade: A+

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