Report: Robert Quinn not expected at minicamp

The Chicago Bears’ mandatory minicamp kicks off today and the early headline is that defensive end Robert Quinn is not present.

NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport was the first to report the news, which is somewhat of a surprise.

Quinn hasn’t been around much through the voluntary workouts and camps, but did show up to accept the Brian Piccolo Award last month.

As has been his general wont, he nor his camp have publicly expressed trade demands, but it has been rumored and reported all offseason.

Even when he met with the media at the Piccolo Award ceremony last month, he was pretty mum on his future.

The closest he got was saying “I didn’t expect to go anywhere or want to go anywhere, but again, this is a crazy business.”

Now, expect rumors and reports to really take off.

Quinn is coming off a career and franchise-record setting season in which he notched 18.5 sacks, mostly without Khalil Mack playing across from him.

After being a fan pariah in his first season in Chicago, he became more ingratiated to the fanbase following his off-the-charts performance in 2021.

Quinn is on the wrong side of 30 and has been up and down for most of his career. It makes sense for him to want to play on a contender, but it makes sense for the Bears to get some compensation back for a player who, while older, is productive.

Especially for a defensive unit that is down on pass rushers following the losses of Mack and Akiem Hicks earlier this offseason.

Ryan Poles should have the table set to negotiate with teams, but finding fair compensation might be tough.

Stay tuned.