How Raiders fans, writers reacted to Lions’ signing of CB Amik Robertson

A look at Detroit Lions free agent signing CB Amik Robertson through the reactions of Las Vegas Raiders fans and analysts.

The Detroit Lions continued to attack the cornerback position in free agency by agreeing to terms with former Raiders fourth-round pick Amik Robertson. After coming to an agreement to trade for Carlton Davis on Monday, Detroit now has two starting-capable, young cornerbacks to complement Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley.

Robertson has only been in the league for four years, but based on a sampling of Raiders fans and analysts, he made quite an impression in Vegas. He may not be the most physically gifted boundary defender—only 5-foot-9, 183 pounds—but Robertson clearly won the hearts of Raiders fans with a tenacious attitude, hard working mentality, and a couple of big plays throughout his young career.

Sure sounds like a Dan Campbell player to me.

Let’s take a closer look at Robertson through the responses from Raiders writers and fans after the Lions agreed to a two-year, $9.25 million deal for the cornerback.

As alluded to, most Raiders fans went to Twitter to express their appreciation for the hard work Robertson put in to constantly beat odds, make the roster, and even become a regular starter in 2023.

There also seemed to be a general consensus that Robertson was just coming into his own, and that Las Vegas may have missed out on an opportunity to retain a player who is trending upward:

Here’s a look at what some publications thought of Robertson before and after losing him to free agency:

From Raiders Today:

The Raiders should bring back Robertson and let him and (Jack) Jones battle for the starting position next season. No matter what happens, Robertson is one of the more critical free agents the Raiders should prioritize this offseason. He has proven he can start for the Raiders moving forward, and should he lose a potential position battle with Jones, Robertson would be one of the better reserve corners in the NFL.

For Bill Williamson over at Silver and Black Pride:

Robertson’s market will be interesting to watch next week. The fourth-round pick in 2020 has had his ups and downs, but he has flashed and he is a feisty, engaged player. The Raiders could surely look to keep him in the rotation. Yet, cornerbacks can get overpaid in free agency and it just takes one team that’s intrigued by Robertson’s ball-hawking potential

From Raiders Wire:

Mostly, he was a character who had a lot of confidence and fit in well with the new energy the Raiders had over their final nine games last season under interim head coach Antonio Pierce. But ultimately, the Raiders were looking to upgrade from him and let him find his worth in free agency.

I would also highly recommend checking out the comment section over at Silver and Black Pride. Most seem at least mildly upset Robertson won’t be returning.

Of course, it wasn’t all completely positive. After all, Robertson was a fringe starter for the Raiders, so it’s not like the Lions are landing a lockdown cornerback exactly. But even the Raiders fans who pointed out his flaws couldn’t help but ultimately praise the player:

(Forgive some of the Twitter handles)

BONUS: Here’s Raiders coach Antonio Pierce and star defender Maxx Crosby with some extremely high praise of Robertson. I highly recommend reading the entire piece over at The Athletic.

Crosby reiterated those feelings on Tuesday on Twitter: