The Pittsburgh Steelers are clearing out their roster, and their cap space, ahead of next week’s free agency. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the team is releasing WR Allen Robinson II.
Traded over from the Los Angeles Rams last offseason, Robinson was due a large base salary in 2024. Perhaps the team tried to work out a restructured contract that would’ve required him to take a large pay cut. During last week’s NFL Scouting Combine, GM Omar Khan spoke highly of Robinson, noting his blocking and leadership and seemingly signaled a chance for him to stay. Now, unless Robinson somehow returns on a new deal, the team is moving on from the 10th-year veteran.
As Dave Bryan notes, the move will clear $10 million of cap space prior to roster displacement.
Acquired for his hands, slot experience, and veteran leadership, Robinson served as a possession receiver and blocker in his one year with the team. He caught 34 passes for 280 yards and zero touchdowns, doing almost all of his work underneath and providing very few big plays. His longest reception was only 31 yards, and he had one of the lowest first-down rates of any receiver.
In an Arthur Smith system that uses fewer three-receiver sets than most teams, Robinson was expendable even if he was open to greatly reducing his salary. His release comes on the heels of Adam Schefter’s report that the team is also releasing CB Patrick Peterson after one year with the Steelers.
A second-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2014 NFL Draft, Robinson has appeared in 127 games. He’s caught 562 passes for 7,028 yards and 43 touchdowns. He hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season since 2020 with the Chicago Bears. Turning 31 in August, he’ll look to catch on somewhere throughout the spring but may have to wait for an opportunity.
So far this offseason, the Steelers have released the following players: QB Mitch Trubisky, WR Allen Robinson II, CB Patrick Peterson, C Mason Cole, OT Chukwuma Okorafor, and P Pressley Harvin III.
