The Los Angeles Rams added another big-name weapon to a Super Bowl-winning offense.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Thursday that the Rams are signing receiver Allen Robinson to a three-year, $46.5 million contract that includes $30.7 million guaranteed, per sources informed of the pact. The Rams later officially announced the news.
Robinson adds another big-time playmaker for quarterback Matthew Stafford.
L.A. already boasts the triple-crown winner in Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, who is coming off an ACL tear, and third-year pro Van Jefferson -- adding Robinson bolsters the Rams corps if Woods takes time to return to form.
When Woods went down with the injury last year, the Rams had just signed Odell Beckham Jr. to step in. With OBJ a free agent and coming off an ACL tear in Super Bowl LVI that will likely have him on the shelf well into the 2022 campaign, it's fair to wonder if Beckham will return to L.A. -- if he plays at all next season. Pelissero later reported a Beckham-Rams pairing remains in play despite the Robinson signing.
Regardless of Beckham's future, a trio of Robinson, Kupp and Woods will be a menace for defenses, as each can win at any level of the field and provide a plethora of options for Stafford.
Robinson has been one of the most underappreciated receivers in the NFL for years. He carried the Chicago Bears' offense, generating back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2019 and 2020. Robinson led all WRs with 21 games of 70-plus receiving yards during that span.
He struggled to find any rapport with rookie quarterback Justin Fields or Andy Dalton while playing through injuries in 2021. Robinson earned 410 receiving yards on 38 catches for 1 TD in 12 games -- his worst stats in any season in which he's played at least 10 games.
When healthy, Robinson is a difference-making talent who can box out in the red zone and make contested catches. According to Next Gen Stats, Robinson leads the NFL with 140 tight-window targets (less than 1 yard of separation) since 2018, with 51 catches on tight-window targets in that span (third-most).
Robinson has played five-plus games with six different starting QBs in his career: Mitchell Trubisky (35 games), Blake Bortles (33), Fields (10), Nick Foles (8), Chase Daniel (5), Dalton (5). Each of the QBs has a sub-90 career passer rating and averaged 7.0 or fewer career pass yards per attempt.
Now he gets to play with Stafford in a Sean McVay offense.
With Robinson turning 29 yards old in August, the Rams are betting the receiver will find rejuvenation with Stafford as his quarterback and plenty of weapons so he won't be bracketed every week.
