Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears have been open that they do not want to trade Robert Quinn. While no General Manager will come out and admit their intentions, Poles has been pretty adamant about it, and Poles has been very straightforward.
It does make sense when you think about it. With trading Khalil Mack, it opened a spot for Trevis Gipson and Al-Quadin Muhammad to split more work across from Robert Quinn. Without Quinn, the duo would start to carry too much weight, and they would have no depth to speak of.
Beyond that, it was easier to get a fair return for Mack because of his reputation, than for Quinn, who has a reputation for being up and down.
The Bears may not get enough back for him, and they still need him to maintain quality depth, while Mack was a bit of a luxury and could get a strong return.
Still, while the Bears are saying that they have plans for Quinn and are not taking calls, it may now be Quinn who is forcing their hand.
Quinn has not been attending mandatory OTAs, and head coach Matt Eberflus was firm in declaring that he was not excused from them.
This is the first time we have seen Robert Quinn make a statement like this. Earlier in the offseason, he did show up for practice but noted that with trade rumors swirling he would prefer to play for a contender and not a new coaching staff with questionable talent around him.
Quinn will get fined for missing OTAs, but training camp brings even heftier penalties. If Quinn starts missing those days it will become a bigger deal.
At the same time, Poles has been a straight shooter. That is apparent in him saying he wants to keep Quinn while making it known he wanted to trade Mack. It could show up when Poles sees a player who does not want to play for his team and ships him off.
Mike Tomlin once had a famous line about Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown saying that he wants volunteers and not hostages. The Steelers want players who are all-in when it comes to winning and if they do not want to be there, the Steelers do not want them. Their culture is something any team should strive for.
If Robert Quinn does not want to be on the Chicago Bears, it may be a signal for Poles to move on. We will see how this goes as we get closer to training camp.