Jaguars talk plan for left tackle Cam Robinson, Extension talks ongoing

Cam Robinson won’t be going anywhere, at least that’s the signal that Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke gave when talking about the franchise-tagged left tackle on Wednesday.

Robinson was franchise-tagged for the second year in a row, putting him on what essentially is a one-year deal worth $16M, at least until the team can work out a long-term contract for him. That’s all part of the plan, Baalke reiterated.

“I have it’s been a positive conversation with him,” Baalke said when asked about his conversations with Robinson since the franchise tagged him.

“He’s also busy with some of the coaches as well. We’re in contact with his agent. We were in contact with his agent this morning. This is something we’re hoping that gets done sooner rather than later relative to the team extension. When that takes place, I don’t have that answer, but we’re working toward that.”

This has always been the expectation when Robinson was tagged earlier this month. The team has never had any plans to move on from him, and he’s been given that vote of confidence since last year when the GM was able to see him perform, on the practice field and the gridiron throughout the season.

Though Robinson missed the last couple of games of the season, and one game when he was injured during pre-game warmups, he still was able to perform admirably, earning the best grades of his career, according to Pro Football Focus. Robinson allowed just one sack and a career-low 31 pressures total during the 2021 season.

Baalke said he learned plenty about Robinson, including how important the game is for him, watching the then-fifth-year left tackle play through injuries, including an ankle sprain suffered in practice and a torn ligament in his thumb suffered, something he played through last season.

“ I’ve watched him sprain his ankle out at practice and tape it up and go right back to work. I’ve watched him rip the tendon in his thumb, looked down at it, tell Fergie to tape it and go play. Guys that don’t love the game, don’t do that,” said Baalke.

“You know, he’s proven over time that he’s willing to sacrifice at a high level to help this team win. So is there things he’s got to do better? Absolutely. Are there things the organization has to do? So, you know, we got to get better at everything. We got to be more consistent at everything.

“But feel very good about Cam and where he’s at and his potential as a player.”

As of right now, the Jaguars feel good, but not perfect about their offensive line, and bringing Robinson back into the fold, along with signing right guard Brandon Scherff was part of making them feel more comfortable moving forward.