Jacksonville’s toughest decision last offseason regarded offensive tackle Cam Robinson, a second-round pick in 2017 whose rookie contract was expiring. The Jaguars kicked the can down the road a year by placing the franchise tag on Robinson, but now the time has come to decide on his future once again.
The team could choose to tag him once again, but that would result in an even bigger one-year deal than the $13.8 million agreement he played under in 2021. With that being said, signing him to a long-term contract would be even pricier.
According to Spotrac, a market-value deal for Robinson would be around a four-year, $67.3 million commitment that would pay the veteran tackle an average of $16.8 million. That would rank seventh among NFL left tackles and give him a contract similar to those of others at the position like Garrett Bolles, D.J. Humphries, and Laremy Tunsil.
With the Jags either losing or opting out of the bidding wars for players like Trent Williams and Orlando Brown last offseason, retaining Robinson on a one-year basis made a good deal of sense, given the other positions the team also needed to prioritize. Robinson was decent in 2021, but it’s a stretch to say his production justifies a contract of this size.
According to Pro Football Focus, he earned a season grade of just 67.3, squarely in the bottom of the average range. That grade ranked just 50th among 84 NFL tackles, and that’s not exactly the type of contract year a staff would like to see from a player they’re about to hand a top-10 contract at the position to.
If Jacksonville decides to move on from Robinson and let him test free agency, it has options. Walker Little, a second-round pick from 2021, started three games this season. Though it’s a small sample size, he registered the third-highest offensive grade on the team at 68.8 (higher than Robinson). The Jags could also shore up the position with the first overall pick by taking a player like Alabama’s Evan Neal or North Carolina State’s Ikem Ekwonu.
Regardless, if the Jaguars decide they want Cam Robinson in Jacksonville in the long run, it won’t be a cheap move for the team.