NFL Free Agency Rumors: Patrick Robinson drawing interest from a couple teams

Yesterday we noted that the Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly discussing a contract extension with Patrick Robinson.

If the Eagles can’t reach a new deal with Robinson before NFL free agency officially begins on March 14, it appears Philadelphia will have some competition for his services.

Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com reports Robinson is drawing interest from the Oakland Raiders and Arizona Cardinals.

If the Raiders lose out on [Trumaine Johnson], they may turn to Patrick Robinson, who will be a much cheaper option. The Cardinals are also interested in Robinson if the corner hits the free-agent market.

The Raiders and Cardinals got to see Robinson up close in 2017 since they both played the Eagles last season. Robinson had an interception against Oakland and he turned in a strong performance against Arizona as well.

Robinson is an interesting free agent. One would think teams are going to be wary of paying him too much since the veteran is coming off a career year and turns 31 in September. But Robinson shouldn’t be making the veteran minimum like he was in 2017. He clearly deserves more than that.

The feeling here is that the Eagles do have genuine interest in retaining Robinson as their slot corner but he could be too much for them to afford. The fact that there appears to be competition for him means he won’t come super cheap. The Eagles might have to let him walk and hope to get a decent compensatory pick for him in the 2019 NFL Draft.

If Robinson isn’t back in 2018, the Eagles will have to decide who takes over at nickel cornerback. Philadelphia obviously has a lot of talented youth at corner with Ronald Darby (24), Jalen Mills (23), Rasul Douglas (22), Sidney Jones (21). It’s just a matter of figuring out who fits where.