The Bears’ failure to strike a deal with their best offensive player has gone well past the point of mere annoyance. They now have a major problem if Allen Robinson wants out.
Robinson’s camp inquired about a trade but stopped short of formally requesting one, a source said, after he and the Bears had eight months to agree on a contract extension but couldn’t. Robinson has said since last December he envisioned “spending many more years” with the Bears and aspired to be their all-time leading receiver.
Robinson and general manager Ryan Pace have been unable to work out a deal that should have been relatively simple. Robinson is without question the Bears’ best offensive player and big dreams of a future in Chicago.
“I would love to be the Bears’ all-time leading receiver,” Robinson said at the time. “With the longevity of the organization and players who have come before here, goals like that are big. Being the all-time leading receiver for a franchise like the Chicago Bears is special.
“I’ve really enjoyed my two years. We’ve won a lot of games. From an organization standpoint, it’s a top-flight organization and coaching staff.”
Robinson had 98 catches for 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns last season, making him the team’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Alshon Jeffery in 2013. He opened the new season Sunday with five catches for 74 yards.
When asked two weeks ago if Robinson is part of the Bears’ plans beyond this season, coach Matt Nagy said, “I hope so.” Since Nagy’s arrival in 2018, Robinson leads the team in yards from scrimmage at 1,985 despite missing three games his first season.
“I think he shows what he can do,” Nagy said. “For us, that’s Ryan and [director of football administration Joey Laine]. That’s their world. That’s Allen’s world. There’s a whole process to that.
“But I know how we all feel. I know how he feels. When you produce the way that he produces and are the type of person he is, those are the type of people that you want for a while.”
