Jaguars' Cam Robinson Officially Signs Contract Extension: 'It's Kind of Surreal'
For Jacksonville Jaguars left tackle Cam Robinson, this past week was the culmination of a lifetime of work.
From high school to a prolific career at Alabama to the NFL, where he nearly went to the Super Bowl as a rookie starting left tackle and tore his ACL in Year 2, everything Robinson has done has been to accomplish what he has this offseason: signing a long-term deal.
“The hard work is starting to come fruition and it’s kind of starting to pay off. I am far from where I want to be, but I think for myself as a player and as a team can take it even higher and continue to build on what we are starting this year," Robinson told local media on Monday.
"I am just excited. For my family, it’s hard for me to even put it in words. It’s a blessing and these are the things that you’ve been working for since you were a kid playing in little league or whenever you started playing the game. It’s kind of surreal, but it’s definitely an awesome moment for myself and my family.”
Robinson, who was franchise-tagged by the team in March, officially signed a three-year contract extension with the Jaguars on Monday. The deal was first reported on the eve of the NFL Draft last week by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. According to Rapoport, Robinson signed a three-year deal worth a max total of $54 million.
Robinson's deal ranks No. 14 in total value among left tackles, according to OverTheCap.
"The feedback I was getting from the front office here and from my agent, I knew we wanted to get a deal done," Robinson said.
"It was just coming to agreement on the terms and conditions and just getting everything exactly how we thought it should be. It was just a process and I wouldn’t say I never thought I wouldn’t be a Jaguar, but we kind of had something we wanted to get done. It took a minute, but we ultimately were able to get it finished.”
Robinson has appeared in 61 games during his five-year career after being drafted No. 34 overall in 2017. Last season, Robinson started in 14 games at left tackle, with rookie left tackle Walker Little (No. 45 overall) taking the other three starts.
Per TruMedia and PFF, Robinson allowed 15 sacks, 75 pressures, and 11 quarterback hits in 30 games from 2019-2020 -- an average of 7.5 sacks, 37.5 pressures, and 5.5 quarterback hits per season. But last year, Robinson allowed one sack, 29 pressures, and nine quarterback hits.
"As you're trying to build this thing, you're trying to keep as many of your players as possible," general manager Trent Baalke said last week.
"The best way to build a winning franchise is to draft well, sign players. They perform well, you re-sign them and you build that culture that you're going to take care of your own. I think this is a good start. These two guys have earned it and we're going to continue to work as we move forward to continue to re-sign some guys that earn it. I guess that's the best I can lay it out there for you.
The Jaguars have made it clear for some time that Robinson is a player they want to be one of their true building blocks. And Robinson has shown the same respect back, knowing Jacksonville is where he wants to continue his career and take his next step as a player.
“I kind of knew the whole time that this is the place I wanted to be long term if they would have me," Robinson said.
"It was just kind of thing where you get with my agent and then have them get with the team and let’s get it worked out. It took a little while, but ultimately, I kind of figured we would get it done. I knew we were working to the point that we ended up getting to, so I was just excited when we were able to get to that point.”
Now, Robinson won't have to play under the franchise tag and he knows exactly how the Jaguars feel about him. So does the fan base and the rest of the NFL, too, with all of those outside of TIAA Bank Field now seeing just how important Robinson is to Jacksonville's front office after two tags.
And most importantly, Robinson sees it too. The Jaguars have made it a priority to change their ways of not retaining talented draft picks, and Robinson has become the new poster child of that strategy after two tags and a big extension.
“There are kind of two ways to look at a franchise tag. It’s a blessing and of course if you get a franchise tag, you kind of want to get something long term done, so that was just the main focus," Robinson said.
"Of course, I was going to play under the tag. I was never not going to play under the tag, but I think it was just huge for myself and my party. We definitely wanted something long term and I think it’s great that we were able to get that done.”
