Bears, Allen Robinson not expected to reach contract extension by Thursday deadline, per report

Allen Robinson appears likely to play this season on his one-year franchise tag contract.

The Bears and their star wide receiver are not expected to reach a deal for a contract extension before the Thursday deadline, according to a report from the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The team placed Robinson on the franchise tag months ago ahead of free agency. Robinson signed his franchise tag tender in March, which is worth $17.88 million for the 2021 season. Under the terms of the franchise tag, the Bears and Robinson have until Thursday to agree to a long-term extension. If no deal is struck, they cannot negotiate again until after the 2021 season.

“I don’t have any updates or anything like that,” Robinson said of his contract situation June 16.

It doesn’t appear any updates will be forthcoming by the end of the week, either. If that’s the case, the two sides will have to return to the negotiating table after the season.

Additionally, it’s possible the Bears could place the franchise tag on Robinson up to two more times, although each additional year includes an increase in pay for the player.

The contract drama with Robinson dates to last offseason, when the two sides failed to come to an agreement on an extension ahead of the third and final year of the deal he signed in 2018. A week into the 2020 regular season, Robinson deleted much of the Bears content from his Instagram account.

Robinson was vocal about his dislike for the franchise tag during the winter. At a certain point, there’s not much he can do about it. Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell famously sat out the entire 2018 season after the Steelers used the franchise tag on him for a second time. Robinson doesn’t seem likely to follow that path.

The 27-year-old signaled last month that he didn’t have any intentions of holding out for an extension.

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Robinson has been the Bears’ top receiver during his three years in Chicago. He led the team with 102 receptions and 1,250 receiving yards in 2020, and also scored six touchdowns. He has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons.