Allen Robinson wants a new deal and he wants it yesterday, but he and the Chicago Bears remain apart on what the terms of it will look like. As such, the veteran wide receiver will focus on doing what he does best -- namely dominate opposing defenses when quarterback play permits -- having seemingly moved on from a tumultuous week following the opener wherein he wiped all mention of the Bears from his accounts. Shortly after that short-term beef was quashed, running back Tarik Cohen was awarded a contract extension, and many rightfully pointed at the optics of bad timing on the deal.
That said, Cohen's deal is far from a bank-breaker, seeing as it's three years with a max value of $18.25 million. So when asked about the timing of his extension amid the ongoing rift between Robinson and the Bears, Cohen is unequivocal in his belief Robinson should get paid, and right now.
"Regardless of whether I got mine or not, it's definitely time for him to get his," Cohen said, via The Chicago Sun-Times. "I even left some money on the plate. I took less so he could get more, so to say. I would definitely love to see my boy get extended.
"It means a lot to the team."
Inclusive of Cohen's new deal, the Bears currently have around $10.4 million in cap space -- per OverTheCap.com -- and they'll need it when looking at Robinson's value to the club.
Robinson is currently in the final year of a three-year contract and will hit free agency in 2021, unless Chicago puts something to his liking on the table. Having recently seen the Chargers award Keenan Allen an extension worth an average of $20.03 million per year and DeAndre Hopkins having now blown the lid off of the market with a new deal averaging $27.25 million annually, Robinson's eventual payday should fall somewhere in-between -- higher than Amari Cooper at $20 million per year but likely below Hopkins and potentially Julio Jones at $22 million.
The key word there being "potentially".
"I think the biggest thing is that, again, it definitely takes both sides," Robinson said in January of ongoing contract talks. "There's a lot that goes into it. Everybody knows I want to be in Chicago. We're just trying to figure this out. ...
"I want to be in Chicago if they'll have me. The biggest thing is, I can't make that happen by myself. I just gotta control what I can control. I know that everything will probably play out fine."
