The Jacksonville Jaguars and star wideout Allen Robinson are in an awkward situation.
The receiver is slated to be a free agent when the new league year begins in March. He wants to stay in Jacksonville. The Jaguars would no doubt like him to be there as well.
Though for Robinson, who had a productive first three years in the league but played just three snaps of the 2017 season before tearing his ACL, the tricky part is: What's his worth?
It's a question Robinson openly pondered with ESPN's Michael DiRocco this week.
"I don't really know what is going to happen. I know there's a lot of different scenarios," Robinson said. "Right now, my main focus is to kind of let my agent narrow down the scenarios and for me to get back at 100 percent. That's the main focus right now for me. Again, I know I'll be back at 100 percent and relatively soon. At the end of the day, I know all that is going to play out.
"I know the player that I am. I know the plays that I made. I know the plays I'm going to continue to make. From that standpoint, it doesn't really bother me or I don't really concern myself too much with that [the contract situation]."
The Jaguars could use the franchise tag on Robinson, giving him essentially a one-year, prove-it deal to show he can bounce back from a serious knee injury to be the receiver that posted a 1,400-yard season in 2015. But at roughly $16 million, that deal might be too rich to risk on Robinson, who's yet to be fully cleared from ACL surgery.
The Jaguars could offer a longer, more team-friendly deal. But would Robinson, who's shown he's capable of being a top-10 wideout in the league, take that?
The receiver is sure he'll be back to his usual self sooner rather than later. What price the Jags pay to see that next season and beyond will be one of the biggest storylines of the offseason to follow.
