The Robert Quinn experience wasn’t a fun one for the player or his new team. The three-time Pro Bowler was supposed to be a situational stud pass rusher off the edge following his midseason trade to the Philadelphia Eagles. However, the combination of a knee injury and low snap counts limited his impact.
Quinn saw just 88 defensive snaps in a midnight green jersey over six regular-season games. He failed to record a single sack in an Eagles uniform, registering just 2 quarterback hits and 2 total tackles. He never lived up to the hype, although his leadership in the locker room served as a positive influence. Now Quinn hits free agency after the Eagles voided the last two years of his contract. And the offers on the open market may be very underwhelming for the one-time All-Pro edge rusher.
Some NFL trade deadline results:
🫤Eagles traded a 4th round pick for Robert Quinn (0 sacks in 9 games, 10 snaps in SB)
🤔 Dolphins got 2.5 sacks in 8 games + extended Bradley Chubb for a 1st rounder
🤮Bears got 14 catches for 140 yards from Chase Claypool for No. 32 overall
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay believes Quinn “tanked” his value in 2022, perhaps hanging around too long as a mercenary chasing a ring. The 5-year, $70 million contract extension he inked with the Chicago Bears is in the rear-view mirror as he approaches his 33rd birthday. The Eagles aren’t likely to bring him back, with his options in free agency handicapped.
“Robert Quinn has experienced several highs and lows across his decorated 12-year career, but he’s entering free agency after what may have been his worst season yet,” Kay wrote. “It’ll be difficult for Quinn to earn a payout of that size after scoring an abysmal 43.6 PFF grade this season, a mark that is far and away the lowest of his career.”
18 SACKS for Robert Quinn!
He now leads the NFL in sacks and has set a new single-season franchise record for the @ChicagoBears. #DaBears
📺: #NYGvsCHI on CBS
📱: NFL app
Robert Quinn ‘Frustrated’ and ‘Mad’ About Trade
The deadline deal that sent Quinn from Chicago to Philadelphia was seen as a genius stroke by Howie Roseman at the time. The Eagles surrendered only a fourth-round pick for a player with 102 career sacks, plus the Bears ate $7.1 million of his salary. He was on his way to being the magic ingredient in a Super Bowl casserole. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way.
Quinn revealed at the Super Bowl that he was initially upset about being traded to Philly. The 6-foot-4, 264-pounder didn’t appreciate the manner in which Bears general manager Ryan Poles handled the situation. He was “highly upset” and wanted to stay in Chicago, especially after breaking Richard Dent’s single-season sack record in 2021.
Robert Quinn admits he was “highly upset” with how GM Ryan Poles and the Bears handled things ahead of the trade deadline.
“Honestly, I was mad,” Quinn told Bears reporters, via NBC Sports Chicago. “Highly upset with how it went down. You’re pulled into the building, and they say you’re getting traded, especially in the middle of the year. It ain’t really a good feeling.”
Quinn quickly got over it when he arrived in Philly and realized the opportunity in front of him. He returned from a knee injury to play in three postseason games, including Super Bowl LVII. He saw only two snaps in the title game with no tackles.
Avoiding Dubious NFL History Thanks to Knee Injury
Quinn had a chance to show up in the NFL history books as one of the only players to play in 18 straight regular-season games. That’s right. The 32-year-old never got a bye week since he was traded before the Bears had their bye, then joined an Eagles team that already went on bye.
Potential history after the NFL trade deadline: Robert Quinn (Eagles) and Dean Marlowe (Bills) have played in every game this season and their new team already had a bye.
Quinn and Marlowe could become the first players in NFL history to play in 18 regular season games.
According to CBS Sports, “the last time any NFL player played 18 games in a regular season was in 1930, when Tony Costos and Cookie Tackwell played 18 games for the Frankford Yellow Jackets and Minneapolis Red Jackets.” Then, Quinn suffered a knee injury and went on injured reserve so history never happened. He ended up playing in 13 non-consecutive games between Chicago and Philadelphia.
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‘Highly Upset’ Eagles Pro Bowler Expected to Leave in Free Agency