The Pittsburgh Steelers are on the verge of acquiring former Penn State receiver Allen Robinson, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday afternoon.
The #Steelers are working to finalize a trade to acquire veteran WR Allen Robinson from the #Rams and have been granted permission to give him a physical, per sources.
If the Steelers are comfortable with the physical, Robinson is expected to land in Pittsburgh. pic.twitter.com/AIm6BMox7l
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 18, 2023
Robinson will be entering his 10th NFL season in this fall, a career that started in 2014 when Jacksonville took him in the second round. He most recently played for the Los Angeles Rams.
It’s not yet known what the Steelers will be giving up to get Robinson.
Robinson’s past two seasons have been disappointing.
In 2021, Robinson, then with the Chicago Bears, posted just 410 yards and one touchdown. From there, he signed a three-year, $46.5 million deal with the Rams that included $30.7 million guaranteed. His time on Sean McVay’s offense didn’t go as anticipated. Robinson played in just 10 games and posted 339 yards and three touchdowns before his season ended due to a foot injury.
If Robinson’s indeed played his last game for the Rams, his time in “La La Land” will go down as a disappointment.
But there’s little reason to think he’s done being a productive NFL player.
Robinson’s still relatively young at 29 and should be a solid fit for a team that’s top two receivers. George Pickens (22) and Diontae Johnson (26) have less NFL experience. Robinson is a Pro-Bowler, making it in his second NFL season with the Jaguars in 2015, and was a 1,000-yard receiver as recently as 2020 in Chicago. Robinson posted 1,250 yards and six touchdowns on 102 catches.
That was the most recent of three 1,000-yard seasons in Robinson’s career, the other two coming in 2015 and 2019.
Before the NFL, Robinson was a big reason Penn State football stayed afloat after the fallout from the Jerry Sandusky scandal and is right up there amongst the signature players of Bill O’Brien’s two seasons in Happy Valley. Robinson left Penn State second on the school’s all-time list in receiving yards and receptions and was fifth in touchdown catches.
Almost a decade after leaving Penn State, he’s still fifth in yards, fourth in catches and eighth in touchdown receptions. Besides being a great player overall, Robinson also had a signature play at Penn State. Against Michigan at Beaver Stadium in October 2013, Robinson made one of the best catches in Penn State history in the final minute, with Penn State down by a touchdown. Penn State wound up tying the game and eventually winning in four overtimes.
