Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1462941
A P R I L 2 0 2 2 6 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M For much of his eight-year NFL career, Allen Robinson has made great plays for mediocre teams. Now he's joining the defending Super Bowl champions. On March 17, the former Penn State wideout agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Rams on a three-year deal worth $46.5 million, with $30 million guaranteed. Robinson was considered one of the top available wide receivers in this year's free agent talent pool, despite catching only 38 passes for 410 yards and one touchdown last season with Chicago, his worst pro season aside from the 2017 campaign in which he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 1. The Bears had placed the franchise tag on Robinson in 2021 after he totaled 255 catches for 3,151 yards and 17 touchdowns in his first three seasons with the team. But they weren't able to sign him to a long-term deal, and after an ac- rimonious season in which he expressed frustration with how he was being used in Chicago's offense, the team declined to use the franchise tag again this spring. Robinson, who played his first four seasons in Jacksonville after being chosen by the Jaguars in the second round of the 2014 draft, has totaled 495 catches for 6,409 yards and 40 touchdowns in his eight-year pro career. In Los Angeles, he will be joining an offense that finished fifth in the league in passing yards per game (273.1) en route to the franchise's first Super Bowl victory since the 1999 season when it was located in St. Louis. Two other former Penn State pass catchers — wideout Chris Godwin and tight end Mike Gesicki — never hit the free agent market because their teams used the franchise tag to hold onto them. Godwin signed a $60 million contract that will keep him in Tampa Bay for the next three seasons. The deal includes $40 million in guaranteed money. It was the second consecutive year in which the Buccaneers used the franchise tag on Godwin, who has caught 342 passes for 4,643 yards yards and 29 touchdowns in his five seasons in the NFL. Godwin suffered a season-ending ACL injury last December but still led the Buccaneers with 1,103 re- ceiving yards. Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians recently said that Godwin was about 40 percent recovered from his injury and subsequent surgery. Arians said the team didn't have any concerns about whether the 26-year-old receiver will make a full recovery. "I don't think that's going to be a problem at all," he said. When he does return to action, Godwin will be reteaming with quarterback Tom Brady, who ended his retirement after just 40 days, announcing on March 13 that he would be returning to the Bucca- neers for the 2022 season to take care of "unfinished business." If Brady, a man with seven Super Bowl rings, still has unfinished business, then everyone else in the league does, too. One of Brady's fellow Floridians, Gesicki, is still looking for his first ring. But after four seasons in the league, Gesicki already has 2,255 receiving yards to rank third all-time among Dolphins tight ends. And he has some finished busi- ness, too: a one-year contract worth $10.9 million. The 2018 second-round draftee signed the franchise tag tender while on his honeymoon in Bora Bora. Gesicki is coming off his best season as a pro. In 2021, he tied a franchise record for tight ends with 73 catches, totaling 780 yards and two touchdowns. He will head into the 2022 season needing just 842 yards to pass Randy McMichael for the most receiving yards in Dolphins history by a tight end. Miami has until July 15 to work on a deal that will lock Gesicki up beyond the 2022 season. If the sides aren't able to reach an agreement, he would become an unrestricted free agent next year, or the team could use its franchise tag on him again. Elsewhere in the NFL: • Former Penn State defensive tackle Austin Johnson signed with the Los Angeles Chargers on March 14. Johnson, a six-year veteran, received a two-year deal worth $14 million. Selected by Tennessee in the second round of the 2016 draft, he spent the past two seasons with the New York Giants. • Another former Penn State defensive standout, edge rusher Carl Nassib, became a free agent in March when he was released by Las Vegas after two seasons. Nassib, who was chosen in the third round of the 2016 draft by Cleve- land, had four sacks and an interception in 27 games with the Raiders. He has 22 career sacks, having played his first two seasons in Cleveland followed by two seasons in Tampa Bay before signing with the Raiders in 2020. • Receiver DaeSean Hamilton was released by Denver on March 8, the same day the Broncos traded for quarterback Russell Wilson. It was tough timing for the former Penn State wideout, who sat out the 2021 season after suffering an ACL injury in May and now won't have an opportunity to play alongside one of the game's elite quarterbacks. — Matt Herb Former PSU Pass Catchers Cash In During Free Agency Tight end Mike Gesicki signed a one-year contract with the Dolphins in March and could become an unrestricted free agent next year. PHOTO BY MARY HOLT/ESPN IMAGES