Robinson was born inDetroit,Michigan.[1] He attendedSt. Mary's Preparatory, where he played on thefootball team. In his senior season, he led the Eaglets to the Division 3 State Championship, where they lost 35–27 toEast Grand Rapids High School.[2] He was a teammate of former Penn State quarterbackRob Bolden.[3] In addition to football, Robinson was a competitor for the St. Mary's Preparatorytrack and field team. Robinson committed to Penn State on November 29, 2010, after being recruited by Penn State assistant coachRon Vanderlinden.[4] He had also received offers fromMinnesota,Buffalo, andToledo.[1]
Robinson appeared in 12 games and caught three passes for 29 yards during his freshman year in2011 under head coachJoe Paterno.[5] On September 10, 2011, he had onereception for 12 receiving yards, the first of his collegiate career, in a 27–11 loss to #3Alabama.[6] He made his first career start on the road against #15Wisconsin in a vital game that would help determine theBig Ten Leaders Division champion.[3]
After losing Justin Brown, who transferred toOklahoma, Devon Smith, who transferred toMarshall, and Curtis Drake, who was dismissed after a violation of team rules, Robinson was quickly thrust into the spotlight as the team's number one returningwide receiver in2012 under new head coachBill O'Brien.[7][8][9][10]
Robinson quickly struck an accord with new coachBill O'Brien and quarterbackMatt McGloin in the Nittany Lions' 8–4 season.[11][12] He caught nine passes for 97 receiving yards in the team's first game of the year, a 24–14 loss toOhio on September 1.[13] In the following week, on September 8, he had 10 receptions for 89 receiving yards and one receivingtouchdown, the first of his collegiate career, on a 30-yard reception in the 17–16 loss toVirginia.[14] In the first game since Shawney Kersey was dismissed from the team,[15] Robinson responded by catching five passes for 136 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in a 34–7 victory overNavy.[16] After the game, Penn State assistant head coach and wide receivers coachStan Hixon remarked, "Obviously he's made a big improvement from the spring, and from the spring we saw that he has potential to be a really good receiver. Each and every day, he's getting better and better at running routes, coming out of routes, and also, a much better job catching the ball in his hands. He has done a good job getting separation in certain routes, like we ask him to do, and he's been a really good student of the game."[17] On September 22, he had five receptions for 82 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in a 24–13 victory overTemple.[18] On October 6, he had nine receptions for 85 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in a 39–28 victory over #24Northwestern.[19] On October 20, he had six receptions for 39 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in a 38–14 victory overIowa.[20] Robinson set a single season record for most receptions in a season on November 17 as part of an effort in which he finished with 10 receptions, 197 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns in a 45–22 victory overIndiana.[21] His 197 receiving yards were the most in a game by a Penn State receiver sinceDeon Butler had 216 in 2006.[22] He surpassedBobby Engram andO. J. McDuffie, who had each recorded 63 receptions in a season.[23][24]
In his sophomore season, Robinson totaled 77 receptions for 1,018 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns, which all led theBig Ten Conference in 2012.[25][26] His 77 receptions were the most by a sophomore in school history.[22] He won theRichter–Howard Receiver of the Year award for the 2012 season.[22]
As a junior, Robinson served as a productive anchor for the Nittany Lion offense in their 7–5 season.[27] In Penn State's season opener againstSyracuse, Robinson recorded 11 receptions for 133 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown from freshman quarterbackChristian Hackenberg in the 23–17 victory atMetLife Stadium.[28] For the second consecutive game, Robinson caught seven passes and scored a receiving touchdown, this time in a 45–7 victory overEastern Michigan.[29] The next week, the Nittany Lions suffered their first setback of the season, while Robinson made nine receptions for 144 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 34–31 loss toCentral Florida.[30]
In the fifth game of the regular season atIndiana, Robinson recorded a season-high 12 receptions for 173 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 44–24 loss.[31] On October 26, 2013, Robinson tied his season-highs after catching 12 passes for 173 receiving yards and scored a receiving touchdown in a 63–14 loss to #4Ohio State.[32] On November 23, he had eight receptions for 106 receiving yards in a 23–20 loss toNebraska.[33] In his last career collegiate game, he finished with a total of eight receptions for 122 receiving yards in a 31–24 victory over #14Wisconsin.[34] He finished his junior season with a total of 97 receptions for 1,432 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions, while starting all 12 regular season games.[35] His reception and receiving yard totals led the Big Ten Conference in 2013.[36] Robinson finished his collegiate career with the second-most receptions, third-most receiving yards, and fifth-most receiving touchdowns in school history.[37]
Robinson became was the first wide receiver to lead the Big Ten in receptions and yardage since 1985. He won the Richter–Howard Receiver of the Year award for the second consecutive season.[22] Robinson was named anAll-American byThe Sporting News[38] andPhil Steele named Robinson to his second-team All-America squad.[39] On January 2, 2014, he announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the2014 NFL draft.[40]
Coming out of Penn State, Robinson was projected by the majority of analysts and scouts to be a first-to-third round draft selection. NFLDraftScout.com ranked him as the sixth best wide receiver and the 34th overall prospect, whileSports Illustrated ranked him seventh among wide receivers.[41][42] He was invited to the 2014NFL Combine and completed the majority of workouts, but elected not to perform thebench press. Robinson participated at Penn State'sPro Day and decided to perform all the drills except the bench and shuttle and was able to improve on all of his combine numbers.[43]
TheJacksonville Jaguars selected Robinson in the second round with the 61st overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft.[45] He was the 11th wide receiver selected and the second receiver drafted by the Jaguars in 2014, behindMarqise Lee who was selected in the second round at 39th overall.[46] In addition, Robinson was one of three Penn State Nittany Lions to be selected that year.[47] On June 21, 2014, the Jaguars signed Robinson to a four-year, $3.51 million contract that included $1.17 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $877,718.[48]
Robinson opened the regular season as the fourth wide receiver behind Lee,Cecil Shorts, and fellow rookieAllen Hurns.[49][50] In the Jaguars' season opener on September 7, he caught his first career pass fromChad Henne for no gain in a 34–17 loss to thePhiladelphia Eagles.[51] On September 14, he had four receptions for 75 receiving yards in the 41–10 loss to theWashington Redskins.[52] On September 21, he earned his first career start and caught seven passes for 79 receiving yards in a 44–17 loss to theIndianapolis Colts in Week 3.[53] On October 12, he caught a season-high eight passes for 68 receiving yards in a 14–16 loss to theTennessee Titans.[54] The following week, Robinson caught his first touchdown from fellow rookieBlake Bortles during a 24–6 victory over theCleveland Browns[55] to help the Jaguars end a nine-game losing streak.[56] On October 26, he had five receptions for 82 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 27–13 loss to theMiami Dolphins.[57] On November 9, he had five receptions for 60 receiving yards in a 31–17 loss to theDallas Cowboys.[58] The game against the Cowboys was Robinson's last game in the 2014 season where he recorded any meaningful statistics due to a stress fracture in his right foot.[59]
Robinson finished his rookie season with 48 receptions for 548 receiving yards and two touchdowns while starting eight games and playing in ten.[60]
The following season, Robinson was named one of the regular season starters, along with fellow second-year player Allen Hurns.[61]
In the season opener, he caught one pass for 27 receiving yards in a 9–20 loss to theCarolina Panthers.[62] The next game, Robinson caught six passes for a season-high 155 receiving yards and scored two receiving touchdowns during a 23–20 victory over the Dolphins[63] On October 11, he had seven receptions for 72 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 38–31 loss to theTampa Bay Buccaneers.[64] In the next game on October 18, he had six receptions for 86 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 31–20 loss to theHouston Texans.[65] The next week, he had six receptions for 98 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in a 34–31 victory over theBuffalo Bills.[66] On November 8, he had six receptions for 121 receiving yards in the 28–23 victory over theNew York Jets.[67] On November 19, he had five receptions for 113 receiving yards in a 19–13 victory over the Titans.[68] On December 20, Robinson caught a season-high 10 receptions for 153 receiving yards and a season-high three receiving touchdowns during a 39–42 loss to the Titans.[69] On December 27, he had six receptions for 151 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 38–27 loss to theNew Orleans Saints. His receiving touchdown in the game was a 90-yard reception, which was the longest in the NFL for the 2015 season and the longest play from scrimmage in franchise history.[70][71][72] In the regular season finale on January 3, 2016, he had five receptions for 108 receiving yards in a 30–6 loss to the Houston Texans as the Jaguars finished with a 5–11 record.[73][74]
Robinson finished his second season with 80 receptions for 1,400 receiving yards and 14 touchdown receptions.[75] He led the Jaguars in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns during the 2015 season and was the first Jaguars' receiver sinceJimmy Smith in 2005 to have over 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. Robinson recorded the second-most receiving yards in a season in franchise history at the time.[76] He, along withDoug Baldwin andBrandon Marshall, tied for the league lead in receiving touchdowns with 14.[77] He was the first player in franchise history to be a league leader in receiving touchdowns in a single season.[78]
After Robinson and Hurns both had breakout seasons in 2015 with over 60 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards, and 10 touchdown receptions each, they were nicknamed "Thunder and Lightning" and "The Allen Brothers".[81][82]
In the Jaguars' season-opener against theGreen Bay Packers, Robinson caught six passes for 72 receiving yards in a 23–27 loss.[83] On September 25, he made seven receptions for 57 receiving yards, and caught his first two touchdowns of the season during a 17–19 loss to theBaltimore Ravens.[84] During a Week 10 matchup against theAFC South rival Texans, Robinson had a nine receptions, 107 receiving yards, and a receiving touchdown during the 21–24 loss.[85] The victory over the Texans was Robinson's first game of the season eclipsing 100 receiving yards. OnChristmas Eve, he bounced back and caught nine passes for a season-high 147 receiving yards in a 38–17 victory over their division rival Titans.[86]
Robinson finished the 2016 season with 73 receptions for 883 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.[87]
During Week 1 against the Texans, Robinson had one reception for 17 yards but had to leave the game early in the first quarter with an apparent knee injury.[88] Hours later, it was confirmed that his left knee was diagnosed with a torn ACL, which prematurely ended his 2017 season.[89] He was placed on injured reserve on September 12, 2017.[90]
On March 14, 2018, Robinson signed a three-year, $42 million contract with theChicago Bears.[91][92] He was part of a position group that containedTaylor Gabriel,Anthony Miller, andJosh Bellamy.[93] He made his Bears debut in the season opener against the Packers onNBC Sunday Night Football, recording a team-high 61 yards.[94] The next week, he brought in a season-high 10 receptions for 83 yards in a 24–17 victory over theSeattle Seahawks onMonday Night Football.[95] On September 30, he scored his first receiving touchdown with the Bears on a 14-yard reception fromMitchell Trubisky in a 48–10 victory over the Buccaneers.[96] The next week, he scored again against the Dolphins on a 12-yard catch as part of a 64-yard performance on five receptions in the 31–28 overtime loss.[97]In Week 10, a 34–22 victory over theDetroit Lions, Robinson had six catches for 133 yards and two touchdowns.[98][99]
Robinson finished the 2018 season with 55 catches for 754 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. He received an overall grade of 77.7 fromPro Football Focus in 2018, which ranked as the 28th highest grade among all qualifying wide receivers.[100] In his postseason debut, a 16–15 defeat to the Eagles in theWild Card Round, Robinson set two postseason franchise records: 10 receptions, which tied withMatt Forte, and 143 receiving yards.[101][102]
Robinson in 2019Robinson with theChicago Bears in 2019
In Week 1 against the Packers, Robinson caught seven passes for 102 receiving yards as the Bears lost 10–3.[103] In Week 2 against theDenver Broncos, Robinson caught four passes for 41 receiving yards as the Bears won 16–14. With seconds left on the game clock, Robinson caught a 25-yard pass from quarterbackMitchell Trubisky that set up a 53-yard game winning field goal byEddy Piñeiro.[104] In Week 5 against theOakland Raiders, Robinson caught seven passes for 97 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 24–21 loss.[105] In Week 12 against theNew York Giants, Robinson caught six passes for 131 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 19–14 win.[106] In Week 13 against the Lions onThanksgiving Day, Robinson caught eight passes for 86 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 24–20 win.[107] In the following week's game against the Cowboys onThursday Night Football, Robinson caught five passes for 48 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 31–24 win.[108] In Week 15 against the Packers, Robinson caught seven passes for 125 receiving yards in the 21–13 loss. During the game, Robinson reached 1,000 receiving yards on the season for the first time since 2015.[109] He became the first Bears receiver to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a single season sinceAlshon Jeffery in 2014.[110] Robinson finished the 2019 season with a career high in receptions with 98 for 1,147 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns.[111]
During Week 3 against theAtlanta Falcons, Robinson finished with 123 receiving yards and a touchdown as the Bears won 30–26.[112] In the following week's game against the Colts, Robinson recorded seven catches for 101 yards and another touchdown during the 19–11 loss.[113] In Week 12 against the Packers onSunday Night Football, he had eight receptions for 74 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns during the 41–25 loss.[114]
In Week 13 against the Lions, Robinson caught a pass on third down-and-5 with 22 seconds left in the game and stepped out of bounds after four yards instead of going for the first down. The Bears were unable to convert on the ensuing fourth-and-1 attempt and turned the ball over on downs, losing the game by a score of 34–30.[115][116] In Week 14 against the Texans, he had nine receptions for 123 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 36–7 victory;[117] the performance enabled him to pass 1,000 receiving yards for the second straight season.[118] The following week's game saw Robinson play against his former team in the Jaguars,[119] during which he recorded 103 receiving yards and surpassed 100 season receptions for the first time in his career as the Bears won 41–17.[120] Overall, Robinson finished the 2020 season with 102 receptions for 1,250 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.[121] Robinson's 102 receptions tied him with Matt Forte for the second-most in franchise history for a single season.[122]
On March 9, 2021, the Bears placed the franchise tag on Robinson.[123] He signed the one-year tender on March 24.[124] His production fell precipitously in 2021, with Robinson finishing with 38 receptions for 410 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in 12 games played.[125]
On March 17, 2022, Robinson signed a three-year, $46.5 million contract with theLos Angeles Rams.[126] Robinson started the first 10 games of the season, catching 33 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns.[127] On November 27, it was announced that Robinson would undergo season–ending surgery to repair a foot injury.[128] He was placed on injured reserve on November 29.[129]
On April 21, 2023, Robinson was traded to thePittsburgh Steelers for a swap of 2023 seventh-round picks.[130] He started in all 17 regular season games for the Steelers. He finished with 34 receptions for 280 receiving yards.[131]
On March 8, 2024, Robinson was released by the Steelers.[132]
On August 28, 2024, Robinson was signed to theDetroit Lions practice squad.[135] He was promoted to the active roster on September 26.[136] In the 2024 season, he appeared in 12 games and finished with three receptions for 30 yards.[137]
Robinson was raised by Tracie and Allen Robinson Sr. and has a sister, Ashley.[144] He was atelecommunications major at Penn State. He has an interest in sportscasting[3] and coaching. While in Jacksonville, Robinson started the Within Reach Foundation, which supports education programs for children.[145][146]
^abc"Allen Robinson Profile".Penn State Official Athletic Site. Pennsylvania State University. Archived fromthe original on September 8, 2012. RetrievedSeptember 5, 2012.
^Mancuso, Tony."Penn State Football Blog".Penn State Athletic Communications. CBS Interactive. Archived fromthe original on January 8, 2021. RetrievedNovember 17, 2012.
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