Robert Quinn trade: Eagles acquire Bears edge rusher in exchange for draft pick [UPDATE]

Those trade rumors about the Philadelphia Eagles being interested in acquiring a veteran pass rusher? Well, they turned out to be true!

The Birds are acquiring Chicago Bears edge rusher Robert Quinn, as first reported by NFL insider Adam Schefter. In exchange, the Eagles are sending a fourth-round pick back in the deal.

At first glance, it looks pretty awesome for the Eagles that they just acquired a player who was incredibly productive last year for the mere cost of an early Day 3 pick. Upon closer inspection, there could be some cause for concern.

Here’s what we wrote about Quinn as an Eagles trade target earlier this week:

Quinn is an obvious sell candidate for the Bears. The veteran pass rusher figures to draw interest considering his history of production. Quinn logged 18.5 sacks and four forced fumbles with Chicago last season. He’s off to a much slower start this year with only one sack and quarterback hits in seven games.

Of course, it’s possible that Quinn isn’t exactly motivated to go all out for a bad Bears team. If true, that could be concerning from a culture standpoint. But buying relatively low on Quinn could be worth the risk. The Eagles could afford to add another pass rusher to their rotation.

And the following was from this morning:

Quinn has not played well this year; he has one sack in seven games and ranks 121st out of 124 defensive ends graded by Pro Football Focus.

Here’s how BGN readers voted when asked if they wanted the team to trade for Quinn:

The Eagles are obviously counting on Quinn to be better in Philly than he’s been in Chicago this season. It’s possible he will! He could be a nice complementary piece on an otherwise talented defensive line. Adding Quinn gives the Eagles a third full-time defensive end alongside Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham. Opponents might not be able to double-team Quinn as much in Philly as they did on his former team:

It’s also possible that Quinn ends up not being worth the cost, which isn’t just about draft compensation. He has about $8.2 million remaining in base salary left this year. Quinn carries base salaries of $13.9 million in 2023 and $12.9 million in 2024, though none of that is guaranteed. The Eagles can cut bait if need be after this season. Or they can work with him on adjusting his contract if there’s a mutual agreement. UPDATE: While this breaking news article was being written, NFL insider Mike Garafolo reported the Bears are “picking up most of the remaining salary” for Quinn this season. That’s a significant development!

We’ll see how it works out. In the meantime, there’s reason to be excited about Howie Roseman pushing the chips in and trying to boost an Eagles team that’s currently undefeated and poised to make a Super Bowl run.