It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize what is happening with Robert Quinn. Anybody that can do basic math understands the situation. The Pro Bowl pass rusher is 32 years old. He may have two or three good years left if his health doesn’t take a nose dive. He’s also without a ring, and the Chicago Bears are years away from competing for one. It makes sense that Quinn would want to go somewhere he has a chance to chase a title.
That is why he’s held out from practices to this point. Part of it might be body preservation, but it is far more likely this is a message that he wants to be traded. GM Ryan Poles doesn’t seem against the idea. Word has persisted the team is open to dealing the defensive end, but they aren’t going to give him away for a pittance. They want something in return they consider fair for his value, especially coming off an 18-sack season.
Thus far, any offers they’ve received haven’t crossed that threshold.
So the Bears have decided to wait. They have no reason to rush. Quinn is under contract for another three years. Time is on their side. They can wait this out for the right moment, perhaps when a contending team loses their best pass rusher to injury. Then Poles would negotiate from a position of strength. It feels like a matter of time. This might carry into the regular season, but Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic doesn’t think so. His latest roster prediction suggests Quinn will be gone before the regular season begins.
“Defensive end (4)
Al-Quadin Muhammad, Trevis Gipson, Dominique Robinson*, Carson Taylor*Will Robert Quinn be on the team come Week 1?
After Quinn’s absence from mandatory veteran minicamp, it’s tough to feel confident he’s going to be on this roster at the start of the season. We saw how Poles went about overhauling the roster in March. If he and Eberflus didn’t want Quinn to be part of this, he would have been moved. But Quinn missing minicamp allows for speculation that he might not want to be the veteran on a team in transition.
With recency bias on our side, Quinn doesn’t make this 53-man roster projection. Gipson, Robinson and Taylor took advantage of their reps in minicamp, and Muhammad was out with an undisclosed injury.”
The idea isn’t hard to imagine. Other teams will use training camp and the preseason to assess where their own pass rush situations are. It wouldn’t be a surprise if some weren’t too encouraged by what they see. This would lead to them engaging the Bears on Quinn and coming to an agreement that would make both sides happy.
Robert Quinn is likely gone. It’s only a matter of when.
The two most likely dates to watch are right before the regular season when teams shuffle their rosters for the final time or the trade deadline at the end of October. What makes this interesting is Quinn himself. Will he still play for the Bears if they cannot trade him immediately? Doing so risks injuries but, at the same time, allows him to keep his value high. It is a risk-reward situation.
Everything points to a deal happening before 2022 is over. Both sides are open to it. When that happens, trades become almost inevitable. Poles’ responsibility is to get the best possible package in return. That means a high draft choice or a player of equal value. Head coach Matt Eberflus would love to have Robert Quinn available for his defense, but he’s repeatedly stated he is focused on the long-term.
He’ll focus on developing the young guys if the veteran is out.
It looks like the Bears have pieces to work with. Gipson had seven sacks on limited snaps last season. Muhammad had a career-high five sacks. Robinson might have the most upside of any pass rusher drafted on Day 3 back in April. As for Taylor, he’s been flashing in practice every day. They may not be at Quinn’s level, but it’s an intriguing group.
Robert Quinn is the ultimate win-win.
Win 1 : He should really ball out in a scheme where he doesn’t have to drop back into coverage.
Win 2 : Ryan Poles is NOT stupid enough to let Robert Quinn go without turning a huge profit on the deal, because, well, see Win 1.
I wouldn't count Charles Snowden out of making the final roster. He's going to turn heads once pads come on in camp….. watch 👀