Keenan Robinson Says He Turned Down Multiyear Contracts to Stay with Giants

New York Giants linebacker Keenan Robinson is hoping he can parlay a big 2017 season into a nice payday next offseason.

Robinson signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Giants in March, and during a public appearance Tuesday, he revealed he left money on the table to return to the Big Apple.

"Other teams offered multiple-year deals, but I'm still young," he said, per ESPN.com's Jordan Raanan. "A one-year deal is fine. I'm still 27, so, like I said, right now I'm in a great situation. So I wanted to be a part of it. I was willing to make it work and be flexible as far as that goes."

Robinson played in every game in his first season with the Giants and made six starts. He finished 2016 with 83 tackles, which was fourth-highest on the team. According to Pro Football Focus, he was also third among qualified linebackers in passer rating allowed:

Raanan noted Robinson was on the field for 70 percent of New York's defensive snaps, which will give him confidence about his role in 2017 despite the fact he may be a backup. 

"If it was up to me, yeah. That's what I'm used to," Robinson said about potentially taking more importance in the Giants defense, per NJ Advance Media's Dan Duggan. "But they might have different plans. I don't know yet. It's kind of too early to tell because right now on paper they might have it one way, but who knows what could happen from now until the first game of the season."

At the very least, Robinson's value is unlikely to decrease with another year in New York. Assuming he can repeat last year's production, he could command a healthy multiyear offer on the free-agent market next spring.

Leaving money on the table is always risky, though. One injury is all it would take for Robinson's free-agent prospects to receive a big hit.