Jaguars receiver Allen Robinson wasn’t eligible for a new contract last year. This year, after a disappointing third NFL campaign, he is.
So far, the Jaguars are waiting. Robinson thinks they shouldn’t.
Robinson said earlier in the offseason that he has “earned” a new contract, via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. “If we get something done, we do, and if not, I have a big year coming ahead for me and I have an obligation to my teammates to play at a high level.”
Robinson is confident that things will improve in 2017.
“The most frustrating part of [last] year was that I was an improved player coming in,” Robinson said, according to O’Halloran. “I was a better route runner, I thought I was creating more separation. Even though the outcome wasn’t there, I knew that. . . . Now it’s coming in as an even more improved player and having that strain. We have to do it every day and every game.”
After racking up 1,400 receiving yards in 2015, Robinson dipped by more than 500 yards in 2016, even though he had only seven fewer catches (73 versus 80). He also had eight fewer touchdowns, from 14 down to six.
The Jaguars need to make an assessment of Robinson quickly, when playing with the ever-present injury risk makes him more likely to take less than he’d get under the franchise tag or on the open market. If they wait too long, and if he finishes the year healthy and effective, it will cost a lot more than it would before the season starts.