Bears expected to sign WR Allen Robinson when free agency opens

Mitch Trubisky has a brand-new weapon.

Well, he officially will on Wednesday.

The Bears are expected to sign receiver Allen Robinson when the NFL’s new league year opens at 3 p.m. on Wednesday. ESPN insider Adam Schefter was the first to report the news early Tuesday. The NFL Network reported that Robinson intends to sign a three-year deal worth $42 million with the Bears, though the exact details are not yet known.

Adding receivers for Trubisky was a top priority for Pace. He promised to be aggressive.

“[Receiver is] an area where you can get better quickly through free agency or the draft,” Pace said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “It’s always a deep position, usually in both areas.

“So it’s just our communication with our scouts and our coaches, just keeping on the same page on what players fit our scheme.”

Robinson would fit many schemes, but he does come with some considerable risk.

He suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in Week 1. There also are concerns about his drop in production in 2016 (73 catches, 883 yards, six touchdowns) after his breakout campaign in 2015 (80 catches, 1,400 yards, 14 TDs).

But at 24, Robinson fits the Bears’ rebuilding plans. A second-round pick out of Penn State in 2014, Robinson is the proven target that Trubisky needed. He’s worth the risk.

Having Trubisky certainly changes the Bears’ pitch to players, too. The Packers were reportedly in the mix for Robinson.

“When you look at it and you see you know stability with the coaching staff, you see a quarterback that’s in place we feel good about, I think those are all attractive traits when people view our organization,” Pace said.