Cam Robinson is back in the fold for the Jaguars. The team kicked off its first offseason program under Doug Pederson this week, and Robinson is on track to participate in team activities moving forward.
Despite the Jags having tagged their left tackle in back-to-back years, this situation is hardly contentious. Robinson became a somewhat surprising tag recipient in 2021 and is now attached to a fully guaranteed $16.7MM salary. The next three months will be pivotal for the former second-round pick’s future in Jacksonville.
The Jags have until July 15 to work out an extension with Robinson, who has a new O-line mate that navigated a similar situation. Although Brandon Scherff is a much higher-regarded blocker than Robinson, the latter plays a premium position. Scherff made it to free agency after being tagged twice, failing to reach an extension agreement in Washington this year and heading to Jacksonville. A third Robinson tag would check in at 144% of his 2022 salary, an untenable figure for the Jags. While Robinson’s status (zero Pro Bowls in five seasons) might not make a Jags extension unrealistic in 2023, the best bet for the Alabama alum to stay would be a deal by the July deadline.
Drafted during Tom Coughlin‘s run atop the front office, Robinson has now been tagged by two different regimes — Urban Meyer‘s brief operation and the Pederson-Trent Baalke setup. The sixth-year blocker is still just 26 and has made it back from a 2018 ACL tear to be a steady presence in Jacksonville’s lineup over the past three years.
The Jaguars’ second Robinson tag has led to understandable speculation they will not use the No. 1 overall pick on a tackle. They were previously linked to NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu, but Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is now the odds-on favorite to be the pick.