Allen Robinson on Trevor Lawrence: ‘I Think He Is Going To Be an Outstanding Player in This League’
A good quarterback is a wide receiver's best friend -- especially for a receiver who hasn't quite had that kind of quarterback before.
This is one of the largest factors that impending free agent wide receiver Allen Robinson will have to examine if he gets a chance to pick a new team when free agency begins on March 17. Perhaps the Chicago Bears go against Robinson's wishes and franchise tag him, but for now, there remains a chance that Robinson will be one of the top free agents on the market.
And for the first time, the Jacksonville Jaguars can use the quarterback position as a legitimate selling point to Robinson and other free agents.
After years of the Jaguars' quarterback position being closer to the NFL's favorite inside joke than anything else, the Jaguars now have hope at the position. Thanks to the Jaguars holding the No. 1 overall pick for the first time in franchise history, Jacksonville is projected to take Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence as the top pick.
Robinson was asked about the appeal of returning to Jacksonville, where he played from 2014-2017, to join forces with Lawrence on The Collinsworth Podcast. Robinson gave praise to the likely future Jaguars' franchise passer, noting that he watched this year's College Football Playoffs closely, while also watching Lawrence's Pro Day at Clemson in February.
"I think he is going to be an outstanding player in this league," Robinson said about Lawrence. "Also guys like Justin Fields, and watching those guys play, it definitely does open my mind up personally to the possibility of different situations.
"I think it would be dope coming in to possibly playing with the next NFL prodigy of the quarterback position."
Robinson, who started his career with the Jaguars when Jacksonville selected him in the second round in 2014, has already noted that he is open to the possibility of returning to Jacksonville if that is how the next few weeks unfold.
Robinson was a budding star in Jacksonville from the moment he hit the field. In his second season in the NFL, Robinson caught 80 passes for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns -- the best individual season by a Jaguars receiver since Jimmy Smith retired. Robinson earned a trip to the Pro Bowl as a result.
Robinson's time in Jacksonville ended after 2017 when his rookie contract expired and the Jaguars failed to reach a new agreement with him. Robinson suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Week 1 of 2017, so he only really got three seasons of playing time in Jacksonville.
Meanwhile, Robinson has continued to develop into one of the NFL's best receivers after signing a three-year, $42 million deal with the Bears in the 2018 offseason. In three years in Chicago, Robinson produced despite poor quarterback play and caught 255 passes for 3,151 yards (12.4 yards per catch) and 17 touchdowns in 45 games.
The Jaguars now have legitimate questions at wide receiver entering the 2021 offseason. Three of their six receivers from last year's initial 53-man roster are set to be free agents, so the Jaguars will need to add more bodies at the position to set Lawrence up for success as a rookie.
Could one of those additions be Robinson, reuniting him with the franchise that drafted him? Only time will tell, but Robinson continues to at least appear open to the idea -- and the presence of Lawrence can't hurt.
"I feel like I could pretty much do it with anybody who is throwing the ball or anybody who is calling the plays. I think that is another big part of my game. So that doesn't scare me away at all," Robinson said about playing with a younger passer.
