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Chicago Bears pass rusher Robert Quinn has been the subject of trade rumors for months now, and while general manager Ryan Poles has said the team isn’t seeking a trade, he also said he wouldn’t “rule anything out.”
The veteran pass rusher’s trade value may be at its peak after he finished second in the NFL with 18.5 sacks last season in an impressive campaign that also saw him amass 25 hurries, four QB hits and a whopping 47 total pressures, per PFF.
But what if the Bears can’t find a trade partner for Quinn? Is there a chance they’ll release him instead of paying him top dollar?
Quinn, 32, is entering the third year of the five-year, $70 million deal he signed with Chicago in 2020. He’s due $12.8 million this coming season, and the Bears would be left with $12.7 million in dead cap money if they cut him before June 1 and $4.2 million in dead cap if he were a post-June 1 cut, per Over the Cap.
Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report thinks it’s entirely possible Poles and company decide to let their reigning sack leader walk.
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Bears Could Ultimately Release Quinn, Says BR Analyst
Moton thinks the Bears should be able to deal Quinn “in exchange for at least a middle-round pick,” but “if Chicago doesn’t entertain offers and plays hardball with teams in trade talks, Quinn may try to force his way out for a chance to pick his next destination.”
Moton cited a May 20 report courtesy of CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, in which La Canfora wrote he was hearing “Quinn wants out of Chicago … and there are a host of interested teams.”
“If he goes public about his reported desire to suit up elsewhere, the veteran pass-rusher could hurt his trade value as teams may wait to see if the Bears release him to avoid a messy situation,” Moton wrote, also naming a potential landing spot for Quinn:
“Quinn should consider a second stint with the Miami Dolphins, who could use a high-end veteran edge-rusher opposite second-year pass-rusher Jaelan Phillips.”
The problem with this scenario? One top insider covering the Bears says there’s zero truth to La Canfora’s report about Quinn wanting out.
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Bears Insider Says Quinn Isn’t Trying to Force Trade
Top Bears insider Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog called La Canfora’s report “poppycock,” and noted that while the Bears have been shopping the veteran pass rusher, Quinn isn’t discontent in the Windy City.
“The Bears have been trying to trade Quinn for months. Poles wants more draft picks, and less salary and Quinn is coming off a career year,” Hughes wrote on May 23. “But he’s not just going to give players away and the Bears need pass rush to be competitive defensively in 2022. It’ll take a significant offer.”
Additionally, Hughes noted Quinn is “not trying to force a trade. Would he prefer to be on a team trying to win a title this season? Sure. But he’s not creating any issues at Halas Hall.”
It’s also highly unlikely the Bears will outright release Quinn, but stranger things have happened. Still, a trade is the far likelier scenario. Stay tuned.
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