Getty Bears pass rusher Robert Quinn would help the Seahawks defense.
Despite low preseason expectations, the Seattle Seahawks find themselves with a chance to win the NFC West. Through the first six weeks of the season, the Seahawks are in a three-way tie for first place with the 49ers and Rams.
Seattle has surprisingly emerged as having one of the top NFL offenses, but the defense continues to be a work in progress. The Seahawks are giving up 27.2 points per contest, tied for the second worst in the league. Two of the biggest issues for Seattle this season has been the pass rush and lack of depth at linebacker.
Enter Bears star pass rusher Robert Quinn who would help the team address both of these weaknesses. Quinn is coming off a Pro Bowl campaign in 2021 notching 18.5 sacks, 49 tackles, 22 quarterback hits, 17 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles. The three-time Pro Bowler is off to a slower start this season with one sack, seven tackles and two quarterback hits during the first six games.
With the Bears looking like the team is in for another long season, what would a trade for Quinn cost the Seahawks? With the 32 years old defender carrying a $70 million contract, it is hard to imagine the Bears commanding more than a future day-two draft pick in a deal.
The Seahawks have four picks in the first two rounds of the 2023 draft that they can use as trade bait. Seattle can also dangle cornerback Sidney Jones who has fallen out of the team’s rotation but could help the Bears secondary.
The Bears Are Shopping Quinn Ahead of Trade Deadline: Report
Robert Quinn’s 15th sack of the season!
📺: #MINvsCHI on ESPN
📱: t.co/Ixk0otsWJu
The obvious challenge with a potential Seahawks-Bears deal is Quinn’s $12.8 million salary and the pass rusher still has an additional two seasons remaining on his current contract. Seattle does not have the cap space needed to absorb Quinn’s salary and would need Chicago to eat a good portion of his deal. The Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora reported that the Bears will need to take on some of Quinn’s contract to have any chance of moving the pass rusher.
“The Chicago Bears are a mess again, and they are in a rebuild even if they don’t want to admit it, although pawning off Khalil Mack should have been evidence enough,” La Canfora wrote on October 19. “Now, after the Bears told teams through the offseason that they didn’t want to part with Robert Quinn, their other veteran pass rusher, multiple NFL executives (speaking on the condition of anonymity because they are not permitted to discuss players on other rosters) told me Quinn is indeed being shopped around with the trade deadline a few weeks away.
“’They want to move him, but they are going to have to eat some of that contract to do it,’ one GM said.
“Quinn, 32, has just two quarterback hits this season, is probably playing more snaps than he should and carries a $12.8 million salary. He has wanted out since the Bears began purging their defense in the offseason.”
The Seahawks’ $1.76 Million Move Hints That Additions Could Be on the Way
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
Seattle has a history of being more aggressive in the trade market than free agency which has led to mixed results, namely Jamal Adams and Percy Harvin. Other deals have worked out better for the franchise with the acquisitions of Carlos Dunlap and Jadeveon Clowney making an immediate impact on the defensive line without the Seahawks having to give up much in return.
Heading into Week 6, the Seahawks made a small move that could point to additional players coming to the Pacific Northwest. According to Over the Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald, Seattle restructured veteran guard Gabe Jackson’s contract to create an additional $1.76 million in cap space this season.
“The Seahawks have restructured the contract of Gabe Jackson in order to create $1.76 million in additional salary cap space for the 2022 season,” Fitzgerald wrote on October 15, 2022. “The Seahawks had dropped below $2 million in cap room this week and likely wanted to be proactive in creating some cap space for the remainder of the year to help cover for injuries and practice squad elevations.
“Seattle did not have many options remaining for cap room. In order to create cap space teams will need to convert salary from the 2022 season into a signing bonus that can be prorated over the remaining years of the contract.”