It’s not unusual for teammates in the same position to secretly wish for each other’s failure, but that’s not the case for Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. Allgeier had a standout rookie season in 2022, rushing for over 1,000 yards. However, shortly after his debut season, the Atlanta Falcons chose Robinson with the eighth overall pick in the NFL Draft. Given Robinson’s star status in Texas, it was clear that Allgeier would be expected to support him. Fortunately, Allgeier embraced this role. Off the field, Robinson described them as “the bestest of friends.”
Allgeier shared, “I feel like a work environment that’s cool, but having that off the field as well, it just brings us even closer. So, that work environment is easy. It’s not forced. I think having those relationships that aren’t forced is just so natural and awesome to have. To be Bijan’s boy, it’s just awesome to have a best friend on the team.”
Robinson echoed this sentiment, stating, “Off the field, we became the bestest of friends. This is my brother. I can rely on him for everything and anything. That we’re here in the Super Bowl doing something together, that’s all you can ask for.”
The duo partnered with Bounty to be each other’s wingman leading up to the Super Bowl. Allgeier remarked, “You can’t have football without wings, and you can’t have wings without Bounty. But having my wingman right here? Can’t get any better.” Robinson added, “I think our relationship is like Bounty and wings. It’s literally the same thing. You can’t have one without the other. For me, this is one of the best running backs in the league. There’s no backup in his title at all. For me to share the field with him, and for when I get tired, he goes in, when he gets tired, I’ll go in. We’re just trying to play off each other and just have fun with it. We have a coach that allows us to maximize our abilities.”
Their camaraderie mirrors the situation with the Falcons, who, shortly after signing Kirk Cousins, drafted Michael Penix with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Penix eventually took over Cousins’ position, but the running backs noted that there was no awkwardness between the two.
Robinson commented, “It was just good to see Kirk deal with that the right way. He never wavered, he never got mad or got disappointed. He got right to work. He got right to helping Mike become who he wants to become. Even with Mike, he was so selfless and wanted to learn and get connections with all of us as players on the offense. I was never in a love/hate, or hate relationship at all. It was just support, and when you have a guy who can learn under a vet for a whole season, he comes in way more comfortable and prepared than if he had to start right away.
