(670 The Score) The Bears have agreed to trade veteran pass rusher Robert Quinn to the Eagles for a fourth-round pick, NFL Media reported Wednesday afternoon.
Quinn, 32, set a Bears franchise record with 18.5 sacks in 17 games in 2021. He has one sack through seven games this season. Quinn is in the third season of a five-year deal in Chicago.
The Bears have embarked on a rebuild under first-year general manager Ryan Poles, a new direction that began in earnest back in March when Chicago dealt star pass rusher Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers for draft capital. The Bears also parted ways with veteran mainstays in linebacker Danny Trevathan, defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, nose tackle Eddie Goldman and safety Tashaun Gipson this past offseason.
Despite the changes on their defense, the Bears brought Quinn back for the 2022 season – at least for seven weeks.
“All I control is myself,” Quinn said in July when asked of trade speculation. “You can’t play this game if you’re not happy to be here, because it’s one of the roughest games out there. Every day, you’ve got to buy in to be able to give the best of yourself. That’s all I’m trying to do every time I step in the building. I’m just trying to bring the best version of myself.”
The news of Quinn's trade came Wednesday after the Bears completed a walk-through at Halas Hall. Linebacker Roquan Smith was addressing reporters when news of Quinn's trade broke.
“Sucks,” Smith said. “I have a great deal of respect for that guy. Crazy.”
Quinn joins an Eagles team that's an NFL-best 6-0 and which has Super Bowl aspirations. He adds another pass rusher to a group that has 16 sacks this season, including 6.5 from linebackers (4.5 for Haason Reddick, 2.0 for T.J. Edwards), and gives the Birds another outside complement to Reddick, Brandon Graham (3.0 sacks) and Josh Sweat (2.5 sacks).
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.