Patrick Robinson Retires After 11 NFL Seasons With Saints, Eagles, Chargers, Colts
August 10, 2021
New Orleans Saints cornerback Patrick Robinson informed his team Tuesday that he is retiring, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Head coach Sean Payton was caught off guard by the announcement, noting that it was not injury related.
"It was something that deep down inside he felt," Payton said Tuesday, per Luke Johnson of the New Orleans Advocate.
Robinson spent 11 years in the NFL, including eight with the Saints. The 2010 first-round pick spent five campaigns in the Big Easy to begin his career and returned in 2018.
The 33-year-old was heading into the final season of his four-year, $20 million deal with New Orleans.
Robinson also played for the Chargers, Colts and Eagles, winning Super Bowl LII with Philadelphia. He appeared in all 16 regular-season contests and three playoff games for the Eagles in 2017, returning an interception for a touchdown in the NFC Championship Game.
The veteran had only one season as a full-time starter in 2012 with the Saints, but he was a reliable player in the secondary throughout his career with 123 total games played. He finishes with 16 interceptions, 83 passes defended and two sacks.
Robinson had been an effective player for the Saints, allowing just one touchdown in pass coverage over the past two years, per Pro Football Reference. His absence now creates a hole in the secondary after the Saints also lost Janoris Jenkins in the offseason.
Marshon Lattimore is clear top option at cornerback, but he may receive a suspension from the NFL to start the 2021 campaign after he was charged with a fourth-degree felony of receiving stolen property. The legal case is still pending.
The second starting role could also be up for grabs. Amie Just of the Times-Picayune reported Ken Crawley spent time with the first team when Robinson was unavailable during training camp, but the 28-year-old played just 11 defensive snaps in six games last season.
Veteran Prince Amukamara and rookie third-round pick Paulson Adebo could be in line for more playing time as well.