It goes without saying that Allen Robinson is not happy that the Chicago Bears used the franchise tag on him, and the star receiver reportedly has no intention of playing for the team next season without a long-term deal in place.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on “SportsCenter” Sunday that Robinson has no plans to sign his franchise tender.
Chicago Bears WR Allen Robinson has zero plans to sign his franchise tag in the immediate future.
(Via @JFowlerESPN on ESPN)
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) March 14, 2021
Teams have until July to work out long-term extensions with franchise tagged players. Unless the Bears rescind the tag and release Robinson, his only options outside of a long-term deal are to sign the tag or sit out.
Robinson would not be the first player to sit out if it came to that, as we saw Le’Veon Bell skip an entire season with the Pittsburgh Steelers a few years ago after refusing to sign his franchise tender. That is obviously a last resort, however.
Robinson hinted with his social media activity last season that he is unhappy with the Bears. He had been openly seeking a contract extension and said publicly that he did not understand why he and the team couldn’t get one done over the past year.
When we heard some of Robinson’s recent remarks on his contract situation, we knew he would not be happy with the franchise tag. You can understand why he wanted to hit free agency following a season in which he caught a career-high 102 passes for 1,250 yards and six touchdowns.
