Chiefs free agent profile: Demarcus Robinson is a bad bet to return

As the 2022 free agency period draws near, the Kansas City Chiefs have a ton of decisions to make regarding the roster. They have 25 players set to hit the free-agent market (restricted and unrestricted), including fan favorites like Tyrann Mathieu, Jerick McKinnon, and others.

Over the last week, we’ve taken a look at a few free agent player profiles to better understand what’s at stake for the Chiefs when considering their options, and today we turn our attention to wide receiver Demarcus Robinson.

Robinson was drafted in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft with the 126th overall pick by the Chiefs. Robinson barely received playing time on offense in his rookie season in 2016, only playing in five offensive snaps; however, he was highly used in special teams, playing in 61% of their snaps. He would then receive more playing time as the years have gone by, but his snap counts have been trending down as of late (58% in the 2021-22 season).

As we survey the Kansas City Chiefs free agents-to-be, let’s explore the case for bringing back wide receiver Demarcus Robinson for the 2022 season.

In his career, Robinson has been targeted 227 times. He has caught 145 of those targets for 1,679 yards and 14 touchdowns. Robinson has garnered a few one-year contracts after his rookie contract expired; his most recent one was signed last March for $1.13 million, compared to the one received the season before for $2.3 million.

With that all said, let’s examine the pros and cons of bringing him back on board, what Robinson would offer in 2022, and the decision of whether or not he’ll be on the roster next season.