Latest On Bears, Robert Quinn

The Bears are “not currently shopping” Robert Quinn, according to a source who spoke with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). However, teams are reportedly looking into Quinn and the veteran pass-rusher does profile as a logical trade candidate. 

Quinn, 32 in May, registered 18.5 sacks last year to break Richard Dent‘s single-season sack record. Some have wondered whether the Bears could use this opportunity to sell high, especially given Quinn’s two-sack 2020 campaign.

Currently, Quinn is slated to carry a $17.1MM figure on the Bears books — more than any other player in Chicago. Meanwhile, they’ve moved on from many of their other high-priced defenders this offseason. For his part, Quinn says he wants to stay put.

“The only thing I thought of was hopefully my résumé or my production from last year gives me a little weight to keep my foot in the building,” Quinn said earlier this week (via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin). “At the end of the day, it’s a business. Again, you see Khalil Mack getting traded. Again, it’s just a business. Don’t dwell on it, too crazy.”

Any team that trades for Quinn would assume his $12.8MM base salary while the Bears would still be responsible for his prorated signing bonus. The Bears would also take on $12MM+ in dead money, so it wouldn’t be a monumental money saver.

The Bears furnished Quinn with a five-year, $70MM extension in 2020, so he remains under contract through 2024. That might not fit in with the Bears’ rebuilding efforts, though Quinn rejects the “rebuild” term altogether.

“I don’t think that’s the right way we should phrase it, because people in — the guys in the building are professionals and I think everyone carries themselves to high expectations,” Quinn said. “I believe, me personally, no player is better than me, and I believe everyone else should carry themselves the same way. So to say, ‘a rebuild’ is, I guess, a funny word. I think it’s just getting guys to believe who they truly are, and perform at their high level of expectations, because everyone’s talented enough, because they’re here. Now you’ve just got to go prove it.”