What if there’s one more splashy trade that Les Snead, Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams can help orchestrate one more time?
And what if the Rams decide to find one more Pro Bowl veteran to replace a past Pro Bowler who guided the franchise to their Super Bowl 56 victory?
While the Rams have gone through the free agency period, the 2022 NFL Draft and now, mandatory minicamp without finding the replacement for Von Miller, there’s still one name floating out there as a possibility for the Rams. And that name got mentioned by Alex Kay of Bleacher Report on Wednesday, June 15 as a trade “that should happen” for the defending champs.
Who the Rams Should Trade For Per B/R
If the Rams were to pivot back to free agency and pull off one more blockbuster trade before training camp, Kay has written down this name as a strong possibility: Robert Quinn of the Chicago Bears.
The three-time Pro Bowler with 101 career sacks per Pro Football Reference has already sent signals that he’s played his final game as a Bear. On Tuesday, June 14, Quinn was a no-show for the team’s mandatory minicamp as reported by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
Sources: #Bears star pass-rusher Robert Quinn is not expected to be present for the team’s mandatory minicamp that begins today. Quinn is away from the team training on his own.
Heavy on Bears reporter Beth Mishler-Elmore also wrote on Wednesday how new head coach Matt Eberflus was vocal about Quinn’s absence.
Kay believes the Bears are doing a complete overhaul of their team with a new regime.
“The Chicago Bears have been steadily plugging away at their rebuild this offseason,” Kay wrote. “But they still have at least one more major move to make before training camp begins. The team needs to offload veteran Robert Quinn, a talented but aging edge-rusher who may no longer fit with the its timeline.”
The 6-foot-4, 245-pounder Quinn is coming off one of his best seasons to date — producing his second-best sack total of his 11 season career.
“Quinn racked up an impressive 18.5 sacks last year—the second-most in the league — and made it clear he still has something left in the tank after a disappointing 2020 season,” Kay wrote.
Quinn currently is on a five-year, $70 million contract that won’t make him an unrestricted free agent until the 2025 season. Per Spotrac, Quinn is expected to make a base salary of $12.8 million for the 2022 season.
“With Quinn’s value now sky-high, the 32-year-old could be most valuable to the Bears as a trade chip,” Kay wrote.
It Won’t be First Rams Rodeo for Quinn if he Comes Over
Ram fans would have to be familiar with Quinn. After all, he began his career in 2011 with the franchise.
Now, Kay believes they’ve become a top destination at this stage of his career.
“The Los Angeles Rams would make an ideal trading partner. After giving up a pair of Day 2 draft picks to rent star pass-rusher Von Miller for a Super Bowl run, the defending champs could employ a similar tactic with Quinn,” Kay said. “Miller’s decision to join the Buffalo Bills in free agency left a hole the Rams could opt to fill with another splashy trade. Los Angeles is quite familiar with what Quinn brings to the table after he spent the first seven years of his career with the organization, and a homecoming could greatly benefit both sides.”
Quinn also accomplished most of edge rushing havoc in a Rams uniform — producing 62.5 sacks in both St. Louis and L.A. He earned his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro nod as a Ram in 2013, the season that saw him hit a career-best 19 sacks.
“Chicago already shipped a veteran edge-rusher to Los Angeles by dealing Khalil Mack to the Chargers earlier in the offseason. It would hardly be a surprise if Quinn, who CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported “wants out” of Chicago, soon joins him,” Kay said.
Obviously, with Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald signing their monster deals, plus Bobby Wagner and Quinn’s Ex-Bears teammate Allen Robinson, the Rams will have a hard time giving Quinn a mega deal. Kay believes the Rams “would have to do some finagling to fit Quinn’s contract under the cap.” Kay adds “the team has nearly $10 million in available space after freeing up funds by extending Donald and Kupp.”
But here’s one way the Rams can pull off one more eye-grabbing trade per Kay: Give up two high draft picks the team still holds.
“Los Angeles may not be flush with draft capital, but the franchise does hold second- and third-round selections in 2023. Offering those picks could entice the rebuilding Bears to give up Quinn,” Kay said.
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