The Bears have restructured Robert Quinn’s contract (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The edge rusher will see a portion of his base salary converted into a signing bonus, creating an additional $3.5MM in cap room.
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Quinn came to the Bears in 2020 via free agency, inking a five-year, $70MM deal to help revamp their pass rush. He was the comeback kid in 2019, notching 11.5 sacks for the Cowboys. It was a throwback to his stellar work with the Rams, which included a Pro Bowl appearance in 2014.
Last year, Quinn totaled just two sacks while playing mostly from the right outside linebacker spot. This year it’s a different story — he’s got 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble through five games.
This won’t change much on Quinn’s end. He’s still signed through 2024 and still earning an average of $14MM per year on his deal. Meanwhile, the Bears are effectively kicking the can down the road. Quinn was initially set to carry a $16MM cap hit in 2022 — that number will rise to ~$19.5MM following today’s adjustment.
Why?
The most logical reason would be they have someone they’re about to sign and need the cap space. Or, they’re working an extension or new contract for an existing player and need the cap space.
Problem is the Bears probably couldn’t recognize logic if it gave them a swift kick in the butt.