Source: Chicago Bears releasing top CB Kyle Fuller; Allen Robinson signs franchise tender

CHICAGO -- The Bears are releasing veteran cornerback Kyle Fuller in a cost-cutting move that frees up $14 million worth of salary cap space, a league source confirmed to ESPN.

Wide receiver Allen Robinson will remain in Chicago after signing his franchise tender Thursday, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. He is set to make $18 million for the 2021 season.

Fuller, 29, was entering the final year of his contract and set to count $20 million against the cap. The Bears will have to eat $6 million in dead money.

Drafted by the Bears with the 14th overall pick of the 2014 NFL draft, Fuller is a two-time Pro Bowl selection who set a career high with seven interceptions in 2018.

Last year, Fuller tied for 94th in the league with one interception and 51st in pass breakups with eight.

Fuller appeared in every game for the Bears over the course of his career except for the 2016 season, which he missed in its entirety because of a lingering knee issue.

The Bears also announced the release of veteran cornerback Buster Skrine on Tuesday.

Chicago could look to fill the void at cornerback from within in the form of Duke Shelley or Kindle Vildor,two younger corners who received ample playing time last year. The side opposite of Fuller's old post will be occupied by Jaylon Johnson, whom the Bears drafted last spring in the second round out of Utah.

NFL Network first reported the news of Fuller's release.

The Bears placed the franchise tag on Robinson before the March 9 deadline.

Robinson, 27, caught a career-high 102 passes in 2020, the final season of a three-year, $42 million ($25.2 million guaranteed) deal he signed with the Bears as a free agent in March 2018. He also had 1,250 yards receiving and six touchdowns.

The seven-year NFL veteran had set his previous career best for catches in 2019, when he had 98 receptions for 1,147 yards and seven touchdowns for one of the league's worst offenses.

In 2018, Robinson, though still not completely recovered from a season-ending knee injury he suffered in Week 1 of the 2017 season while with theJacksonville Jaguars, tallied 55 receptions for 754 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games as Chicago went 12-4 and reached the playoffs.

He spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Jaguars, who selected him in the second round of the 2014 draft. He was selected to his only Pro Bowl in 2015, when he set career bests with 1,400 receiving yards and 14 touchdown receptions, which tied him for the NFL lead.

Robinson has 457 receptions for 5,999 yards and 39 touchdowns in 88 career games.