Allen Robinson's stay in Los Angeles won't extend into the 2023 season.
The Rams and Steelers are working to finalize a trade that would send Robinson to Pittsburgh, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday, per a source. The teams announced the deal on Friday.
Los Angeles will receive a 2023 seventh-round pick (No. 234 overall) from the Steelers in exchange for Robinson and a 2023 seventh-rounder (No. 251).
As part of the swap, Robinson's contract has been reworked, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. The Steelers will give Robinson a $3.83 million signing bonus and base salary of $1.16 million in 2023, while the Rams will pay $10 million total, Rapoport reported. In 2024, Robinson will have a $10 million base, which is down from $15 million, per Rapoport.
Robinson joined the Rams as a highly touted free-agent addition who was expected to not only fill the void left by the departure of Robert Woods, but provide an upgrade at the position opposite Cooper Kupp. That never materialized in Los Angeles, though, as Robinson struggled to develop a rapport with quarterback Matthew Stafford before widespread injuries undercut Los Angeles' title-defense ambitions in 2022.
After consecutive 1,100-plus-yard seasons in 2019 and 2020, Robinson has recorded a combined 749 yards and four receiving touchdowns between 2021 and 2022. In Los Angeles, he posted his lowest receiving total in a season since his one game played in 2017 with 339 yards in 10 games.
At 29 years old (he turns 30 in August), it's fair to wonder whether Robinson has lost a step at this point in his career, or if his lack of production in Los Angeles came down to being largely ignored by Stafford in an offense that failed to establish consistent production.
He'll find new opportunities in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers are entering the second year of the Kenny Pickett era with high hopes for their young signal-caller and his growing rapport with fellow 2022 draft classmate George Pickens and veteran Diontae Johnson. Robinson should fit in as the third option in Pittsburgh's offense, which will welcome the addition of an experienced pass catcher to its young core of playmakers.
