Allen Robinson needs to be offered an extension this offseason

The Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t had to worry about keeping their own players for a few years, but they need to now – including extending Allen Robinson.

For the better part of the last decade, the Jacksonville Jaguars have perennially had the most salary cap space to work with in free agency. While it’s been nice to have the freedom to spend big on free agents, it’s indicative of something more disturbing – the Jaguars haven’t had to spend money to keep their own draft picks because they have all been so bad.

Things have changed however, as the Jaguars finally have some players worth keeping long term.

After the 2015 season, it was essentially unanimous among fans and the media that wide receiver Allen Robinson was the best player on the team. He was ranked very high in the NFL Top 100 and made the Pro Bowl thanks to a terrific sophomore season.

He slumped a bit in 2016 (partly due to Blake Bortles having a tough campaign), but he’s still an ultra-talented receiver and a true number 1 guy.

The Jaguars would be smart to offer him an extension before the regular season and get this necessary move out of the way.

Bill Barnwell agrees, as he believes this should be the next move the Jaguars make:

"Extend WR Allen Robinson. Last offseason, the Jaguars handed Allen Hurns an extension without getting much of a discount, despite being two years away from unrestricted free agency. Hurns struggled with injuries, but even when healthy, he surprisingly looked worse than Marqise Lee, whom he had previously passed on the depth chart.Now, the Jaguars need to lock up their unquestioned No. 1 wideout. Robinson also slipped last year, dropping to 883 yards and six touchdowns, but I wouldn’t be fooled. His breakout 1,400-yard, 14-touchdown campaign in 2015 came almost in spite of Blake Bortles, with Robinson performing heroics to get himself open and leap over his coverage for big plays. Bortles’ future with the team may be in question, but Robinson is a weapon Jaguars quarterbacks will want to have around for years to come. He’s in similar straits to Hopkins, in that the Penn State product is coming off of a subpar season, but there should be little question about his ability."

Robinson is still developing as a receiver but he has traits that are already indispensable for a quarterback like Blake Bortles. The Jaguars need to prioritize his extension and get it done.