It’s been an offseason of change for the Chicago Bears, which has featured the departure of some of the team’s biggest names.
General manager Ryan Poles has made it clear he’s rebuilding the roster his way, which included trading star pass rusher Khalil Mack to acquire draft capital and clear cap space. But could the Bears be looking to part ways with their other top edge rusher in Robert Quinn?
According to CBS Sports’ Jason LaCanfora, there have been rumblings that “Quinn wants out of Chicago” and that there’s continued interest from teams across the league.
While it doesn’t appear that the Bears are interested in moving him, LaCanfora speculates Quinn could be a top option ahead of the trade deadline this season.
I continue to hear that Quinn wants out of Chicago – and who could blame him? – and there are a host of interested teams. Bears brass has told everyone he ain’t going anywhere, but they will keep asking and that’s not lost on the veteran defensive end.
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If the Bears are as bad as I expect, this will only fester, and he could be the prize of the trade-deadline market if nothing else (fetching more than Von Miller a year ago I believe).
This isn’t the first time that it was reported that there are teams interested in Quinn. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport explained that there were a number of teams inquiring about Quinn’s availability during the NFL Scouting Combine. But Chicago made it clear that they weren’t interested in trading him.
Following the departure of Mack this offseason, it’s understandable why the Bears aren’t interested in parting ways with Quinn. That would leave Chicago without its top two pass rushers from a year ago and make an-already questionable defensive line even more vulnerable.
But at the same time, Poles has made it clear that he’s building for the future. Whether that’s trading Mack to acquire draft capital or releasing older players with hefty contracts. You could argue trading Quinn would make sense with his current direction.
Quinn’s trade value will never be higher than it is coming off his impressive 2021 campaign, where he set a single-season franchise sack record without Mack, who was sidelined for the year in Week 7.
Poles might not be prepared to part ways with Quinn at present, things could certainly change down the road as the trade deadline gets closer. Especially if Chicago’s season is a lost cause at that point.
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