Chicago Bears Hot Take No. 5: Try to trade Robert Quinn while his value is high
Should the Bears trade Robert Quinn?
It’s funny how quickly things can change. A couple of months ago, there were talks of the Bears packaging picks to get any team to take on Quinn’s contract. Now, Quinn is playing at a high enough level that some teams may be willing to give up actual assets for him.
The Bears aren’t in win-now mode
When assessing a possible trade, it’s important to look at the state of your team. At age 31, and in what could possibly be his last season under contract, Quinn is definitely a win-now asset; however, the Bears are not in win-now mode. They have a rookie quarterback and a shaky offensive line situation. The Bears look to be a middle-of-the-pack team, with some analysts seeing them as even worse than that. If the team isn’t going to be competing for anything this year, no player who isn’t considered a significant part of the team’s future should be up for grabs.
Robert Quinn’s value is the highest it’s been with the Bears
Quinn currently sits sixth in the league with 4.5 sacks through four games. This new life should give other teams more confidence that Quinn can still be a productive player at this stage of his career. Quinn won’t be getting any better, and neither will his contract if the Bears decide to keep him after this season.
The Bears don’t have many draft picks
Ryan Pace’s tendency to trade up in drafts has resulted in the franchise being bereft of draft picks. The team currently doesn’t have a first or fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft, and although Quinn is unlikely to get significant draft capital, it may be just enough to get the Bears to budge.
Bottom line:
Although Quinn has brought a lot of value to the Bears’ defense this year, there shouldn’t be anyone on the roster other than some of the younger players that are untouchable.