The Jacksonville Jaguarsdumped a pile of money into center Brandon Linder's lap on Tuesday. Could receiver Allen Robinson be the next in line to break the bank?
The receiver told reporters his agent has talked with the team about an extension ahead of training camp opening.
Robinson is coming off a statistically down season, catching just 73 passes for 883 yards after his breakout season of 1,400 yards in 2015. If the Jags try to squeeze their leverage into Robinson taking a lesser long-term deal, he could play out his rookie contract in hopes of hitting the free-agent market.
Either way, Robinson isn't fretting his contract situation.
"I'm not 100 percent sure of where that process is at and that's not my No. 1 focus," Robinson said. "My No. 1 focus is to go to camp ready go for my teammates, be a great teammate and help us win games."
When new executive vice president Tom Coughlin discussed the reason the team exercised the fifth-year option on Blake Bortles, he mentioned the move kept the franchise tag open for other players. We were left to assume Robinson was player No. 1 in that scenario.
Both Robinson and the team could decide that wading through the 2017 season might be their best option before striking a long-term solution. The franchise tag for receivers this year was $15.682 million.
Despite struggles connecting with Bortles early last season, Robinson continues to be a premier receiving talent. He owns the ability to high point the ball, is an extraordinary boundary receiver with plus hands and run-after-the-catch speed. If the salary-cap-space flush Jags won't pay Robinson big money now, someone else surely will down the road.
