There was a lot of excitement about the Los Angeles Rams signing Allen Robinson last offseason, and understandably so. He seemed like a wide receiver who became overlooked in a terrible Bears offense, putting up unimpressive numbers in 2021.
The hope was that joining a Rams offense led by Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay would help Robinson get back to his previous form when he was with the Jaguars, but needless to say, that didn’t happen.
Buy Rams TicketsIn 2022, he finished with 33 catches for 339 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games. Part of that was a lack of chemistry with Stafford, but Robinson simply wasn’t very involved in an offense that went through Cooper Kupp.
Now heading into 2023, the Rams are in a tough spot. After such a disappointing season, they have little choice but to keep Robinson on the roster. Cutting him before June 1 would cost them $26.45 million in dead money, $8.4 million more than it’ll cost to keep him. A post-June 1 cut saves the Rams nothing, either.
If they want to move on from Robinson, their only legitimate option is a trade. Dealing him before June 1 would clear $6.85 million in cap space this year, still not a huge savings but enough to help the team address positions of greater need.
The problem is, would any team actually trade for Robinson and his pricey contract? Probably not. He has a cap hit of $18.05 million in 2023 and $18.55 million in 2024. After that, he becomes a free agent.
If the Rams shop Robinson, he’s not going to yield much in return. At best, they’d probably get a sixth-round pick, which is exactly what Los Angeles got for Robert Woods a year ago. Amari Cooper was traded along with a sixth-round pick for fifth- and sixth-rounders last year, too. If Cooper and his contract were only worth a fifth-round pick, Robinson isn’t worth more than that.
That makes the Rams’ decision fairly easy. They need to keep Robinson on the team in 2023 and hope that a normal offseason of work with Stafford will get him back on track next season. He and Stafford didn’t get much time on the field together due to Stafford’s elbow injury, but both should be back at full health and with a normal workload in camp. That could make a big difference.
Trading him for a late-round pick isn’t worth it, even for the $6.85 million in cap savings. He’s still the type of receiver the Rams could use on offense, a big wideout with a large catch radius who can win in the red area.
There just needs to be a better game plan for him in 2023, and for him to show he’s worth $18 million.
