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Bears Bulletin

Allen Robinson addresses contract situation

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Receiver Allen Robinson II caused a stir Tuesday after he removed all Bears references from his social media accounts.

Later in the day, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Robinson's agent, Brandon Parker, indicated the seventh-year pro is unhappy he has not yet received a contract extension from the Bears.

Robinson, who is in the final year of his deal, addressed the matter Wednesday during a video call with reporters. He revealed that he's putting Tuesday's events behind him; will continue to concentrate on his on-field performance; and still loves the Bears, their fans and the city of Chicago.

"The biggest thing is for me focusing on playing, which I've been doing," Robinson said. "I know it's not going to be a distraction for me. For me, the biggest thing is just going out there, trying to play my best, trying to ball out and keep trying to lead this offense.

"I think that's the biggest thing because, at the end of the day, everything in between the lines trumps everything."

When asked to explain why he removed all Bears references from his social media accounts, Robinson said "it took some emotion."

"I think everybody knows how passionate I am about the game," he said. "The passion I've had for the city of Chicago and the passion I've had to put on this Bears uniform, I mean, I'm a passionate person. I know I may not show it on the sidelines and stuff like that, but the things that I believe in, I really do believe in. That's just where that came from."

Robinson engaged in what he described as a "very good and spirited conversation" with coach Matt Nagy.

"Me and coach Nagy have a great relationship," Robinson said. "As everybody knows, he's a big reason as far as me coming to Chicago, just my belief in his spirit and how he brings it each and every day. Coach Nagy's my guy. I've enjoyed playing for him. He's nothing but a great coach."

Nagy was just as positive about the discussion with Robinson.

"You know how we roll here," Nagy said. "We talk about things, and so I had a great conversation with Allen. I'm just excited about where we're at. He's a leader, he's a very important part of our team. As far as the other part of it, that's not my world. That's both sides to deal through that, but I think that our players all realize the history that we have here in regards to taking care of guys [with extensions].

"I think it was a really, really good talk that Allen and I had. I think when you have situations like this, it's only fair that both be able to talk. I think he definitely feels good and he's confident that we want him to be here and that he wants to be here. So that's really the ultimate goal in all of this."

While Robinson no doubt would have liked to have already had his contract extended, it normally takes some time to reach an agreement.

"Probably the biggest thing is just both of us understanding that it's a process," Nagy said. "These things don't happen overnight. Remember what I've said from Day 1: This is an instant gratification world that we live in right now. Everything needs to happen now. So patience and process is a part of this."

Even though Robinson is still waiting for a new deal, he insists that his love for the Bears, their fans and the city remains unchanged.

"My heart and spirit has never wavered as far as the city of Chicago and playing for this organization," Robinson said. "Obviously, you dive into the business of the game and there's different variables that go into that. But how I feel about my teammates, how I feel about this team, how I feel about this city and everything like that has never wavered."

Focusing on football isn't difficult for Robinson, who said he spent Tuesday preparing for Sunday's home opener against the Giants with receivers coach Mike Furrey.

"Once I get in between those lines, my mind is not focused on anything else," Robinson said. "I know there was a lot of commotion and stuff going on yesterday, but I was chilling, talking to coach Furrey about the game plan, watching some stuff on the Giants.

"For me, I try to keep the main thing the main thing as much as possible. Being in the NFL, you have the business of the NFL, so things do come up. But for me, for the most part, I'm able to keep the main thing the main thing always."

Robinson caught five passes for 74 yards in last Sunday's exciting season-opening win over the Lions. But he wasn't particularly impressed with his performance.

"For me, it's just about getting better each and every week as we get later and later into the season," Robinson said. "Just for me watching the film, I thought I played average on Sunday. I played with too high [of a] pad level. I thought I could've been a little faster at times, play with more game speed."

Robinson has received strong support from teammates in his quest to land a contract extension.

"Those guys in that locker room is what makes playing special," he said. "I love my teammates. I have nothing but a ton of respect for those guys. I can't say enough about my teammates and those guys that I go to battle with each and every day."

“I know it’s not going to be a distraction for me. For me, the biggest thing is just going out there, trying to play my best, trying to ball out and keep trying to lead this offense.” Allen Robinson II

One of those teammates, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, delivered a strong endorsement for Robinson as a player and a person during a video call Wednesday with the media.

"Allen is just so reliable," Trubisky said. "You can go to him in any situation. And the thing about him is when he's not open, he's still open. So just put it in his area and he'll go make a play for the offense. That's my guy.

"I know there is a lot of talk about his contract and all that. Hopefully they take care of him, because me and the rest of the guys on the team want him around. That's very obvious. We all love 'ARob' and we know what he brings to this team.

"They've just got to get that done so we can keep him around and continue to take care of business. But we're not worried about anything else because we know how Allen approaches the game, practice every single week. So in between the lines and in the locker room, everything has been the same. It's been awesome. "

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