Sources: Steelers closing in on trade for veteran receiver Allen Robinson
PITTSBURGH — The Steelers are in the final stages of completing a trade for veteran receiver Allen Robinson, and the deal could be completed upon Robinson passing a physical, according to sources.
According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Steelers will get Robinson and the No. 251 pick in the seventh round of next week’s draft while the Rams will receive the No. 234 pick in the seventh round. The Steelers also will pay just $5 million of Robinson’s 2023 salary with the Rams picking up the rest.
Robinson brings a veteran presence to a young Steelers receiver room. He will turn 30 in August and is entering his 10th season in the NFL.
Selected in the second round of the 2014 draft by Jacksonville, Robinson played four seasons for the Jaguars before signing a big free-agent deal in Chicago, where he also played for four years. He played last season for the Rams, who signed him to a three-year, $46.5 million deal.
The oldest Steelers receiver is Diontae Johnson, who will turn 27 in July. Johnson and George Pickens are the top two receivers on the roster, and Robinson gives the coaches a solid option as their No. 3 receiver, with Calvin Austin III likely slotted in as the No. 4 receiver. Austin, a fourth-round pick last year, missed his rookie season with a foot injury.
The Steelers scouted receivers hard during the pre-draft process, bringing in five college prospects in the past three weeks for top-30 visits. The acquisition of Robinson does not eliminate the possibility of the Steelers drafting a receiver next week, but it’s much less likely now.
Robinson has played in 110 NFL games, with 105 starts, and he is closing in on 7,000 career receiving yards. He has 528 career receptions and 43 touchdowns.
Robinson, who played at Penn State, has three 1,000-yard seasons on his resume, including a 1,400-yard season with 14 touchdowns in 2015, but he hasn’t put up strong numbers the past two seasons as he’s dealt with a series of injuries.
In his final season with the Bears, he had 410 yards and one touchdown. With the Rams last season, Robinson had 339 yards and three touchdowns before having season-ending foot surgery in November. In his final season with the Bears, he was slowed by hamstring and ankle injuries.
In 2017, in his final season with the Jaguars, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the season opener.
©2023 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
