It's great that this player has broken out, but it has also put the New York Giants in a very difficult position.
The New York Giants haven't had a whole to get excited about outside of Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo this season, and Dart is now dealing with a concussion that will almost surely keep him sidelined next week, and Skattebo is out for the season.
But there have been a handful of players who have stood out as bright spots in the Giants' latest miserable campaign, and one of them has been wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson.
Robinson logged six more catches for 62 yards in the Giants' Week 10 loss to the Chicago Bears and has caught 53 passes for 602 yards and a couple of touchdowns on the season. He is on pace to shatter his career high of 699 yards (he is headed toward the 1,000-yard mark), and it comes at perfect time for the 24-year-old about to hit free agency.
The problem is that it comes at the worst possible time for New York.
Spotrac is projecting Robinson to land a four-year, $58.7 million contract in free agency. That's a tick under $15 million annually, and with Darius Slayton just landing a three-year, $36 million deal from the Giants and Malik Nabers set to become eligible for an extension after next season, Robinson's price may prove too costly for the Giants to pay.
The former second-round pick was always sort of a gadget player until this year, where he has come into his own to establish himself as Dart's top weapon with Nabers sidelined due to a torn ACL (which he suffered in Dart's first start back in Week 4).
New York Giants receiver Wan'Dale Robinson. Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images.Is Robinson a legitimate No. 2 receiver on a contender? I still have my doubts. I really think he is more of a very good No. 3, which is what puts the Giants in such a difficult situation.
New York needs receiver help even if it does re-sign Robinson in the offseason. That much is clear, especially with Slayton struggling this year (that contract was a bad idea at the time, and it couldn't be any more obvious now).
But the Giants have a tough salary cap situation and are currently in line to have just $14.5 million in cap space heading into free agency. They can definitely open up some more room by releasing some players, but it still won't result in an expansive amount of available money. And you never want to use up all of your cap space, anyway.
New York has plenty of other needs, too. Remember: the Giants will also have to worry about re-signing cornerback Cor'Dale Flott, who is enjoying a breakout season of his own.
Robinson will almost surely have a host of suitors thanks to how well he is playing in 2025. Couple that with his age, and he could ultimately become one of the more sought-after pass-catchers on the open market in March.
It's great that Robinson is playing so well, but it also could end up hurting the Giants.
Talk about a rough double-edged sword in the Big Apple.