Mentioned in trade rumors for much of this offseason, Robert Quinn not showing up for the Bears’ minicamp added fuel to the prospect he would be the next front-seven mainstay to be dealt out of Chicago. But Quinn said Wednesday he is not seeking to be moved.

“Yeah, I never expected to go anywhere,” Quinn said (via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin, on Twitter) when asked if he wanted to be traded. “I’ve been traded twice. You get tired of moving. … I expect to be here, but if not, that’s out of my control.”

The Bears stripped most of the veteran contracts from their front seven this offseason. They traded Khalil Mack, released Danny Trevathan and Eddie Goldman and let Akiem Hicks walk in free agency (to the Buccaneers). During the spring, Quinn was connected to a potential trade request. That had teams monitoring this situation. Quinn’s age (32) and cap number ($17.9MM, the league’s 13th-highest defensive cap hit) do not exactly make him a fit for a Bears rebuild, but he put together one of the best seasons of his career in Chicago.

Quinn, who broke Richard Dent‘s 37-year-old single-season franchise sack record last year by registering 18.5, said his minicamp absence was “More just trying to take care of my body.” Most veterans do not take this route, which means losing upwards of $90K. But Quinn is at Bears training camp, avoiding the fines that come with missing these workouts, and remains under Bears control through 2024. New GM Ryan Poles said he has not discussed a potential trade with Quinn.

No more guaranteed money remains on Quinn’s deal, however, and trade rumors likely will not cease. Previous Quinn trades occurred in 2018, when the Dolphins acquired him from the Rams for fourth- and sixth-round picks in a partial pick-swap deal, and 2020. The Cowboys obtained Quinn for a sixth-rounder. Quinn’s 2021 production still makes him a viable trade chip for a Bears team that could use future assets to add younger talent.

At worst, the 12th-year defender would make sense as a quality complementary edge rusher. Quinn’s base salary ($12.8MM) would limit what the Bears could receive in a trade, unless Chicago agreed to pay part of the salary to improve compensation. Absent a trade, Quinn will enter the 2022 season as the Bears’ top defensive lineman.

One high-profile member of the Bears’ front seven made headlines yesterday, and today, another is in the news. Robert Quinn has reported to training camp, as noted by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). 

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The 32-year-old did not attend mandatory minicamp in June. Given the fact that his decision was unexcused, speculation was only further fuelled with respect to his desire to remain in Chicago, where he has been for the past two years. Quinn earned his second career Pro Bowl nod last season, with a resurgent 18.5-sack campaign.

It was reported in May that he wanted out of Chicago – something which wouldn’t come as a surprise, considering his age and production, along with the fact that the Bears are rebuilding. He is under contract for three more seasons, with cap hits between $17.1MM and $18.2MM. There is no guaranteed money left on his deal, however.

Teams have thus been keeping an eye on Quinn’s availability if new GM Ryan Poles makes a trade a possibility. When asked about the subject of Quinn’s intentions, Poles said, “I haven’t had that [conversation] with him. I would hope that he wants to be here. Nothing’s changed on that part” (Twitter link via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin).

The Bears have either traded (Khalil Mack), cut (Danny Trevathan, Eddie Goldman) or elected not to re-sign (Akiem Hicks) several big-name members of their defense already this offseason. Moving on from Quinn would therefore be a matter of continuing to offload sizable contracts, though it remains to be seen how willing the new front office is willing to do so in his case. Like with Roquan Smith, Quinn’s level of participation in camp will be the subject of scrutiny.

Mentioned in trade rumors earlier this offseason, Robert Quinn is not expected to join the Bears’ new-look front seven at the team’s minicamp. The 12th-year vet plans to stay away from this week’s mandatory workouts, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

The Bears purged their defense of many veterans this offseason. They traded Khalil Mack, cut Danny Trevathan and Eddie Goldman and let Akiem Hicks defect to the Buccaneers. Quinn, who is in his third season with the Bears, may well want out. Matt Eberflus said he has talked with Quinn throughout his first offseason as Bears HC but added, via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin (on Twitter), this is an unexcused absence and that he hoped the veteran pass rusher would be on-hand.

[RELATED: Teams Monitoring Quinn As Trade Piece]

Although D.K. Metcalf and Terry McLaurin have been absent for their teams’ respective minicamps, this is not an especially common practice. Players are subject to more than $90K in fines for missing mandatory workouts. Of course, Quinn — who signed a monster Rams extension back in 2014 and landed a nice Bears accord in 2020 — has made considerable dough as an NFLer. Still, Quinn is by far Chicago’s best pass rusher at this point. The team moving on from him would further gut its defense.

The Bears trudged through a rough 2021 season, but Quinn turned it into a showcase year. At age 31, Quinn broke Richard Dent‘s single-season Bears sack record — which had stood since 1984, when the Bears notched a still-standing NFL record for team sacks (72) — by notching 18.5 in 16 games. Quinn would stand to help most contenders’ pass rush situations, should the Bears end up dealing him.

Chicago gave Quinn a five-year, $70MM deal in 2020. After fading during his final years with the Rams and not standing out during a 2018 Dolphins one-off, Quinn rebounded with the Cowboys in 2019, when he recorded 11.5 sacks. The Bears have paid out Quinn’s guarantees, giving them flexibility to move on ahead of Week 1, when vested veterans’ salaries become locked in.

New GM Ryan Poles said earlier this offseason a Quinn trade was not on the team’s radar. The accomplished veteran does carry a team-high $17.1MM cap number, and the Bears could both pick up an asset and save some money by trading him. Should another team agree to take all of Quinn’s $12.8MM salary, that would benefit a rebuilding Bears squad. Collecting a draft pick for Quinn now may be prudent for Poles, considering the veteran edge rusher’s two-sack 2020 showing.

Absent Quinn, sacks may be difficult to come by in Eberflus’ first season in charge. The team did not operate aggressively to replace Mack in free agency, signing ex-Eberflus Indianapolis charge Al-Quadin Muhammad, and it waited until Round 5 to address the position (Dominique Robinson.)

The 2022 offseason has seen plenty of changes on the field and in the front office in Chicago. The team’s defense has seen a number of high-profile players depart, which led to Robert Quinn being named as a potential trade candidate. 

On that point, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reports that “Quinn wants out of Chicago”. The 32-year-old earned his third Pro Bowl nod with 18.5 sacks last season, a major increase from his previous year in the Windy City. Chicago’s front seven has seen a number of departures, though, including fellow pass-rusher Khalil Mack being traded to the Chargers.

That prompted speculation Quinn could be on the move as well, and it came out in April that teams were calling the Bears regarding his availability. At that time, it was reported that Quinn was not looking to be moved, making today’s writing quite noteworthy. He is under contract through 2024 on his current deal and the Bears are in better shape financially than most other teams at this point. On the other hand, his cap hit of over $17.1MM will be the highest on the Bears in 2022 if he remains on the team.

Publicly, the Bears have maintained that they are not shopping Quinn, something which La Canfora confirms is still the case now. Overall, he describes this situation as one which “will only fester” if the team performs at a similar level to last season, which could lead to Quinn being a prime candidate at the trade deadline. In that situation, remarks Quinn made in the spring could ring true.

“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.”

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.”

By trading Khalil Mack, cutting Danny Trevathan and not re-signing Akiem Hicks, the Bears have dismantled much of their front-seven core this offseason. That has made Robert Quinn‘s name jump out.

Even as the Bears go through a rebuild, Quinn does not want to be traded, via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin. That said, teams are looking into the veteran edge rusher, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Three years remain on Quinn’s five-year, $70MM contract.

Quinn, 32 in May, makes sense as a trade candidate, given Chicago’s recent moves and his strong 2021 season. Quinn’s second Bears slate ended with him breaking Richard Dent‘s single-season sack record, with 18.5. This, however, came after a two-sack 2020. Quinn’s bounce-back season in Dallas, in 2019, led to Chicago shelling out big money for him. But the Bears have since shed most of their veteran contracts on defense; Quinn is attached to a team-high $17.1MM cap number.

A team acquiring Quinn in a trade would have him on a $12.8MM base salary; the guarantees in his contract have been paid out. The Bears would be on the hook for his prorated signing bonus. A draft-weekend trade would tag the Bears with $12MM-plus in dead money.

New GM Ryan Poles said in late March no Quinn trade scenario had surfaced, but if the right offer came for the 11-year veteran, it would certainly make sense for the rebooting Bears to consider it.