2. Chicago Bears are not pretending to be what they are not
The Chicago Bears could have taken that win against the New England Patriots and pretended. They are sitting at 3-4, and if you have not seen that means that they are technically in the thick of a playoff hunt.
They are a half of a game behind the Rams, only because the Rams had a bye week. Beyond that, they are right in the mix to get a wild card. Coming off of the most complete team win of the season the Chicago Bears could have raised the price for Robert Quinn and pretended that they would compete until the end of the season.
Instead, they looked in the mirror and knew who they were. They know that this year is just gravy, and next year is when the new regime will be in control and have things going their way.
Pretending to be what they are not would have only hurt them in the future. Fans will be disappointed if the defense takes a small step back this season, but if they get any sort of role player in the fourth round next year, and they have him on a great contract for four seasons, fans will forget Robert Quinn like they had amnesia.
The Chicago Bears are fighting for wins in the short term, but the front office has eyes on the big picture in the future. This is why they had to trade Robert Quinn.