One of the many decisions facing Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan is what to do with Allen Robinson II.
Accounting for 280 yards and zero touchdowns on 34 receptions, the wide receiver was largely invisible after being acquired via a swap of seventh-round draft picks with the Los Angeles Rams last spring.
According to The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov, word at the NFL scouting combine was the Steelers would like to keep him, but not with that price tag.
“Allen Robinson is a potential cut candidate due to his cap number exceeding $10 million, but the Pittsburgh Steelers would prefer to retain him at a reduced salary,” Meirov wrote. “Team officials met with Robinson’s representation in Indianapolis.”
Keeping him at his $11.9 million cap number ($10 million base salary plus $1.9 million of his signing bonus) is laughable.
At 30, Robinson’s best years are in the rearview. While he once was a playmaker, posting 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2015, 2019 and 2020, his production has fallen off.
There was mentorship chatter after his acquisition, but it’s evident it fell on deaf ears considering the friction from Diontae Johnson and George Pickens.
The Steelers could see value in Robinson as a blocker, but according to Pro Football Focus’s advanced stats, he graded average in pass blocking (61.3) and below average in run blocking (57.8).
Pittsburgh would be wise to cut ties with Robinson before his $5.75 million roster bonus comes due on March 18.
