Following an impressive season with the Dallas Cowboys in 2019, Robert Quinn signed a five-year, $70million (£52m) deal with the Chicago Bears at the start of the 2020 free agency period.
By the time Quinn had played out his first season in Chicago, most Bears fans already wanted him to leave.
Entering the 2021 season, he was viewed as one of the worst free agent signings in franchise history after recording just two sacks in his first season with the team.
Having recorded 11.5 sacks the year before in Dallas, Quinn’s numbers in Chicago were down drastically from his 2019 season with the Cowboys.
Not only were the numbers down, statistically 2020 was the worst season in Quinn’s career for sacks.
To make matters worse, on the same day the Bears agreed to sign Quinn, they released former first-round pick Leonard Floyd.
Floyd was signed by the Los Angeles Rams a month later and played the entire 2020 season with a chip on his shoulder.
He recorded a career-high 10.5 sacks in 2020, a significant improvement on anything he did in a Bears uniform.
Floyd was rewarded at the end of the season with a four-year, $64m (£47.5m) contract extension and has continued to play well in Los Angeles, with another 9.5 sacks, one forced fumble and an interception so far this season.
With Floyd playing so well in Los Angeles, having struggled in Chicago, it was understandable that Bears fans were frustrated to see his replacement now struggling too.
Robert’s renaissance
In 2021, Quinn has managed to replicate the form that led to the Bears giving him his big pay day in free agency a year earlier.
The Bears haven’t had much consistency all season; a promising 3-2 start was wiped out by a five-game losing streak that ended with a narrow win against Detroit on Thanksgiving.
One of the few consistent players in Chicago this year has been Quinn, who is second in the league for sacks, behind Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt.
The 31-year-old broke Chicago’s single-season franchise sack record in the week 17 clash against the New York Giants, when he strip-sacked quarterback Mike Glennon to register his 18th sack this season.
After he set the franchise record, Bears head coach Matt Nagy called a timeout, which allowed everybody at Soldier Field to show their appreciation for what Quinn had accomplished.
The previous record had been held by Hall of Famer Richard Dent since the 1984 season, when Dent recorded 17.5 sacks.
Quinn’s best personal season for sacks came back in 2013, when he got 19 during his time with the Rams.
The Bears have one game remaining this season, a trip to Minnesota to take on the Vikings in an NFC North clash at the U.S. Bank Stadium.
For Quinn, it will be a chance to make sure 2021 is his best season statistically throughout his NFL career to date.
Both the Bears and Vikings have been eliminated from play-off contention, so there is very little riding on the game except for pride, which could help Quinn to improve his statistics even further.
Accolades rolling in for Quinn
His comeback season has silenced any doubters and seen him earn a place at this year’s Pro Bowl in Las Vegas.
He also won the NFC defensive player of the month award in November, a month where the Bears only won one game, but saw Quinn record 3.5 sacks during a 16-13 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens.
2020 may well have just been a blip in an otherwise very impressive career for Quinn, who is in a four-way tie for 35th place on the official all-time sacks list, with 100.5 to his name.
When you also factor in that he moved to a new city during a global pandemic as well as Quinn reportedly playing through the 2020 season with a foot injury, the return to form is a little less surprising.
The most impressive part of it all though, is that Khalil Mack hasn’t played since an injury cut his season short in November.
Mack is a dominant player that is often double or even triple teamed to prevent him getting to the quarterback, but his presence alone allows opportunities for other players to record sacks instead.
The 2021 season won’t be remembered too fondly by Bears fans, but Quinn will certainly look back on it as a year of redemption.
