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The last thing on the Las Vegas Raiders‘ list of needs is star pass rushers. They arguably already have the best duo in the NFL in Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby. Those two will wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks this season.
While the Raiders don’t need outside pass rushers, what if they decided to add another star? Jones and Crosby are amazing but it remains to be seen who will step up when they aren’t on the field. Perhaps there’s a player out there who would put the team’s pass rush over the top.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes that a trade that sees the Raiders send a second-round pick to the Chicago Bears for defensive end Robert Quinn makes sense:
Quinn racked up 18.5 sacks this past season and could partner with Jones and Crosby to give Las Vegas the league’s top pass rush.
While a trade might not be cheap, Quinn’s 2022 base salary of $12.8 million would be doable for Las Vegas, which has $20.2 million in cap space. The Raiders could further establish themselves as AFC contenders while the Bears snap up a valuable piece of capital for their ongoing rebuild.
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Quinn Wants out, per Insider
Quinn has been a bit inconsistent throughout his career. In 2020, he had just 2.0 sacks but then followed that up with an 18.5 sack season in 2021. That was the second time in his career that he had more than 18.0 sacks in a season as he notched 19.0 with the Rams in 2013. When he gets hot, he’s one of the best pass rushers in the league.
That said, he’s 32 and might want to start thinking about winning some games. The Bears are rebuilding under a new coach and there’s no reason an older player like Quinn should stick around. According to a report from CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora in May, the three-time Pro Bowler is trying to get out of Chicago.
“I continue to hear that Quinn wants out of Chicago—and who could blame him?—and there are a host of interested teams,” La Canfora wrote. “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.”
Should Raiders Make This Trade?
If the Raiders traded for Quinn, they would have three players who combined for 37.0 last season. It’s hard to fathom that teams would be able to consistently stop Las Vegas’ pass rush. As appealing as that is, a second-round pick for a 32-year-old pass rusher seems steep. It’d be a no-brainer if he was five years younger.
There’s also the fact that Quinn hasn’t gone back-to-back seasons with over 10.0 sacks since 2013 to 2014. There’s a chance that he won’t replicate his 2021 success in 2022. He’s a good player and might be worth a trade for a team that needs pass rush help. It sounds like the Bears aren’t eager to trade him so it will cost. The Raiders would be better off using their resources to land an interior pass rusher instead of an outside one.
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