Patrick Robinson will stop short of playing a 12th NFL season. Midway through training camp, the veteran cornerback has told the Saints he plans to retire, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Robinson, 33, was going into the final year of his contract.
Like Malcolm Jenkins, Robinson entered the NFL as a Saints first-round pick who ended up playing a major role on the Eagles’ 2017 Super Bowl-winning team. Both DBs migrated back to New Orleans. While Jenkins continued to see steady time in his second Saints stint, Robinson became a part-timer. His exit will nonetheless strip the Saints of another veteran corner. The team released previous starter Janoris Jenkins earlier this year.
Robinson saw considerably more time during his first Saints go-round, playing five seasons with the team to start the 2010s. The 2010 first-rounder then made his way to the Chargers and Colts in consecutive years, before landing with the Eagles on one-year contract — his third straight — in 2017.
Robinson manned the slot in Philadelphia and joined Jenkins in helping the team upset the Patriots in Super Bowl LII. The 5-foot-11 defender finished his age-30 season with four interceptions and graded as the league’s No. 6 overall cornerback that season, per Pro Football Focus. He added a pick-six in the Eagles’ NFC championship game rout against the Vikings.
The veteran parlayed that standout season into a four-year, $20MM deal to return to New Orleans. However, a broken ankle three games into the 2018 season sidetracked Robinson’s return. Although the Saints kept him on their roster in 2019 and 2020, Robinson topped out at just a 24% snap rate — in 2020 — during his second New Orleans tenure. He was a healthy scratch in the Saints’ divisional-round loss to the Buccaneers. The 11-year vet wraps his career with 16 interceptions — including a 99-yard pick-six in 2012 — and 83 passes defensed in 123 games.
The Saints have been on the lookout for cornerback help this offseason, attempting to trade up for Jaycee Horn or Patrick Surtain II and now being linked to Jaguars 2020 first-rounder C.J. Henderson. Robinson’s retirement underscores the team’s need at the position.
