Chicago Bears: 3 reasons to trade Robert Quinn before deadline

3. The Chicago Bears should trade Robert Quinn to save against the cap

Maybe the biggest reason to trade Quinn is so that the Bears can save some money in the future. Obviously, the number one talking point around Quinn has been the contract Pace gave him last offseason.

A 5-year, $70 million deal isn’t exactly something the Bears should have forked out to an edge rusher while also paying Khalil Mack top dollar. But, Pace did so anyways.

Now, the Bears are stuck with a cap number of $24 million for this season — the largest of any year of this contract. Next year, though, he still counts for over $9 million against the cap. The Bears are going to have some major holes to fill next year, and that money could be used elsewhere.

The Bears are going to have to pay Roquan Smith quite a bit of cash next offseason, which is the number one move they will make. Second to paying Smith, the Bears may opt to pay a free agent wide receiver to replace Allen Robinson if they do not plan to replace him via the draft.

Chicago could cut Quinn next year and only be out that $9.3 million in dead cap, but trading Quinn would be more of an ideal situation. Even if they get a mid-round pick for Quinn in return, saving that kind of cash for next year would be well-worth it.