Bears shopping Robert Quinn: report

Even though Robert Quinn’s future doesn’t align with the rebuilding Bears, the team has been hesitant to trade the veteran defensive end for months. That line of thinking might be thinking, though — the Washington Post on Tuesday cited rival executives who said the Bears are shopping Quinn ahead of the Nov. 1 trade deadline.

A deal would be difficult for a few reasons. Quinn has followed up the greatest season in Bears pass-rush history — he set a franchise record with 18 ½ sacks last year — with one in which he’s recorded only one sack. Quinn is also making $12.8 million in base salary this year — a steep price even if he was playing up to par. Quinn has no more guaranteed money on his contract, which runs through 2024.

Quinn has 102 career sacks, though, and the respect of the league. Tuesday, Patriots coach Bill Belichick called the 32-year-old “one of the great defensive linemen in this era.”

Quinn is the oldest starter on the Bears and has the largest cap hit of any player on the active roster. That portended a trade during the offseason, though general manager Ryan Poles and Quinn both said publicly they didn’t want one. Quinn missed the Bears’ mandatory minicamp but reported to training camp, saying that “I never expected to go anywhere.”

If the Bears make a pre-deadline trade, they figure to be sellers. Running back David Montgomery is in the last year of his contract and could be attractive. Linebacker Roquan Smith is in the final year of his deal, too, but the Bears can give him the franchise tag next season.