Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1520787
J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 4 5 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M F ormer Penn State wide receiver Al- len Robinson has a new NFL home. The Michigan native will start his 11th professional season with the Giants. New York announced May 9 that it was signing the veteran pass catcher to a new deal. Terms were not disclosed. It will mark the receiver's first time playing in the NFC East. Robinson's production has fallen off in recent years, partly due to injury, partly due to age and partially because of usage. He was audibly frustrated with his role in Los Angeles, where he caught 33 passes for 339 yards and 3 touchdowns over 10 games with the Rams in 2022 before suf- fering a season-ending foot injury. Robinson, who spent his first four sea- sons in Jacksonville followed by four in Chicago, was on the West Coast for just one year. He played for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, catching 34 passes for 280 yards in a backup role. Although he played in all 17 games, he was cut in March for salary cap reasons. The Giants chose former LSU star Ma- lik Nabers with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 draft, and he is expected to start this fall. New York's receivers room was average at best last year, with the Giants ranking 31st in the league in passing of- fense at 169.8 yards per game through the air. Most of the wideouts from that 2023 group are set to return, a list that includes Darius Slayton, Wan'Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt. Whether Robinson fits into the picture as a starter and oft-used contributor or reserve and mentor for a young receiving corps remains to be seen. At this stage of his career, though, the former Nittany Lion All-American is more interested in the scoreboard than the stat sheet. "I want to win," he told The Athletic in December. "I am at the point where ego and different things like that are out the window. Whether it is a big task or a small task, I treat them all equally. Whether it is getting targets, catches or blocking — whatever I can do to help this team is what I want to be able to do. ... Don't get me wrong, I am still a receiver and still want the rock. But more from an ego stand- point, you have to look at the bigger pic- ture." COWBOYS, RAVENS EXERCISE FIFTH-YEAR OPTIONS A pair of former Penn State first-round NFL Draft picks had their fifth-year op- tions picked up, ensuring that they will remain with the teams that drafted them through the 2025 season. The Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens elected to exercise their fifth-year option on de- fenders Micah Parsons and Odafe Oweh, respectively. Oweh's fifth-year option is valued at $13.3 million. The edge rusher "plays a really important position," Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said. "Analytically, looking at him, he's been a productive player, and he's been a disruptive player for us. We really do think his best is yet to come." Parsons' fifth-year option is valued at $21.3 million. It would have been $24 mil- lion had he been classified as a linebacker, but the Cowboys opted to list him as a defensive end, where he played 87 percent of his regular-season snaps last year. Parsons has been garnering attention away from the field in recent weeks. He and Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud are on a tour of Asia. The Penn State alum posted a video of a sumo wres- tling workout. He and Stroud also held a youth football camp in Beijing, visited the Great Wall and threw out a ceremonial first pitch at the Tokyo Dome, home of the Yomiuri Giants of the Nippon Profes- sional Baseball League. DONOVAN SMITH REMAINS UNSIGNED Former Penn State offensive tackle Donovan Smith is still waiting to find his next team. Smith won a Super Bowl ring with Kansas City while playing on a one-year deal in 2023, but both sides have elected to move on. There was speculation earlier this year that he might end up returning to the Chiefs after starting 12 regular-season contests and all four playoff games dur- ing the 2023 campaign, but now it does not appear likely that he will continue to protect Patrick Mahomes' blindside. "If we need to go in a different direc- tion before training camp, we will," Chiefs general manager Bill Veach told the Kan- sas City Star. "We're excited with where the roster is and look forward to the final OTA [organized team activity] periods. "For right now, I think we're going to let these young guys go out there and see what they can do and how much they can absorb." The Washington Commanders are one team that could make sense for Smith, a nine-year NFL veteran. But he waited a while to sign with Kansas City last year after five seasons in Tampa Bay. Another wait, even until camps begin later this year, would not be a surprising. ■ Allen Robinson Prizes Team Success Heading Into 11th NFL Season GREG PICKEL | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M PSU IN THE PROS Robinson signed with the New York Giants in May after catching 34 passes for 280 yards for Pittsburgh last season. PHOTO BY ABIGAIL DEAN/PITTSBURGH STEELERS