Bears Sign Tarik Cohen to Contract Extension
The Bears Saturday night reached agreement with running back Tarik Cohen on a three-year contract extension after a day in which they were also talking to the agent for Allen Robinson.
The deal was reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN and was said to be worth $17.25 million for three years with the possibility of reaching $18.25 million, and expires after the 2023 season. Schefter cited Cohen's agency, Rosenhaus Sports, as the source of the cash figure.
The contract standoff with Robinson continued as the Bears were to play the New York Giants on Sunday in Week 2, bringing to mind what coach Matt Nagy had said during the week.
"There's a process and there is some patience involved," Nagy said.
So the process continues, at least for Robinson.
Cohen has had 150 receptions in the last two years playing third-down back as well as wide receiver at times. Last season he had more receptions than rushing attempts for the first time, running 64 times and hauling in 79 passes.
Cohen had 41 yards rushing on seven attempts and two receptions for 6 yards against the Detroit Lions in the season opener.
Now the Bears can focus fully on Robinson, who it appears there is a difference with in terms of the cash. NFL Network had reported the Bears were offering around $16 million a year on a deal to Robinson, who wanted closer to $18 million.
Earlier the Bears said they didn't have a deal done yet because they were unclear on how the salary cap would be altered by COVID-19 for next season, but it didn't hurt to establish a market value for Robinson when the Rams signed both of their top receivers, Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods. The deal for Woods averaged $16.25 million a year according to Spotrac.com.
Earlier in the week Robinson had expressed frustration over the lack of progress in talks for his contract with the Bears and pulled all references to the team from his social media pages. The following day all seemed smoothed over as both the Bears and Robinson spoke about the future, and Robinson later had Bears photos restored to his pages.
"If you look at the (contract) history of the Chicago Bears here, especially recently with players that we have on this team, I think you will see it's pretty friendly," Nagy said.
Achieving a contract for Cohen was no simple matter because he plays such a versatile role in the offense. He's a third-down back, was even used in Week 1 running between the tackles, which wasn't a role much in the past because he's 5-foot-6, 190 pounds.
He's also been one of their leading receivers since coming into the NFL in 2017. Cohen's punt return abilities also add to his value, and he has been in the Pro Bowl as a result of being a return man.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
