Bears and WR Allen Robinson have resumed contract talks
It’s been one heck of an emotional rollercoaster for Bears fans this week. After the team battled back from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to pull out a win against the Lions, there wasn’t much time to celebrate given a contract dispute featuring the Bears’ best offensive player.
Receiver Allen Robinson, who has kept contact talks private for the most part, made his frustrations clear on Tuesday when he scrubbed his social media of all mentions of the Bears.
It escalated to the point where his teammates were voicing their desires for the Bears to extend him and there were even trade rumors swirling.
But on Friday, Bears chairman George McCaskey provided an update where they felt “optimistic” about negotiations with Robinson.
Now, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has reported that the Bears and Robinson have resumed contract negotiations and the #ExtendAR movement has “gained some momentum.”
Rapoport says if the Bears want to have a deal finalized ahead of Sunday’s kickoff, there’s still “a significant gap to close.”
After a tumultuous week that saw Allen Robinson delete references to his team on social media, the #Bears & the star WR resumed contract talks, sources say. There is still a significant gap to close to finish it before kickoff but the #ExtendAR movement of support gains momentum.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 19, 2020
There’s no doubt the Bears wanted to extend Robinson. After all, general manager Ryan Pace has been known to reward players that deserve extensions, and no one deserves one more than Robinson.
The point of contention in getting a deal done to this point has been the money. The Bears felt Robinson deserved to be paid in the $15 to $16 million per year range and he felt like he deserved $18 million per year.
But with news of contract negotiations resuming, let’s hope that Pace gives Robinson what he deserves and keeps Chicago’s best offensive player here for the long-term, which is what he’s wanted all along.
