The Bears’ decision to trade veteran defensive end Robert Quinn to the Eagles is not going to sit well in the locker room in Chicago.
Bears linebacker Roquan Smith was in the middle of his regular appearance with the local media when news of the trade was first reported, and Smith broke down in tears at the news.
“It sucks,” Smith said. “I’m going to take a second, if you don’t mind. I have a great deal of respect for that guy. Damn. Crazy.”
With that, Smith cut his media appearance short.
Smith himself requested a trade during the offseason before agreeing to play out the final year of his rookie contract with the Bears. Now it’s fair to wonder whether Smith will be the next one traded.
From the standpoint of Smith and his teammates, it’s easy to see why they’re not going to be happy about Quinn’s departure: They just earned the best win of the season on Monday night against the Patriots, and they’re currently only half a game out of the final NFC wild card spot. The players are playing hard, and they want to fight for a playoff berth.
But Bears General Manager Ryan Poles is clearly thinking more about the future than the present, and so Quinn is on the way out. If the Bears get the right offer, Smith could be on the way out, too.