In trading away DE Robert Quinn on Wednesday, Chicago Bears general manger Ryan Poles is making it clear that he is taking the team’s rebuild into his own hands.

Poles dealt Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick with the NFL trade deadline approaching on November 1. The veteran pass rusher is just one of the handful of veterans Poles must make a decision on in the next week.

BREAKING: Bears trading DE Robert Quinn to the Eagles. (via @RapSheet + @MikeGarafolo) pic.twitter.com/XQ1K3m0d0l

— NFL (@NFL) October 26, 2022

In the deal, the Bears are eating the remaining $7.1 million on Quinn’s salary for the rest of 2022. In doing so, Chicago will be free of his non-guaranteed $14 million base salary in 2023 and the $13 million he will be owed in 2024.

Poles is setting the team up to be massive players in the offseason. The Bears are set to have $115 million in cap space for the 2023 season, which is most in the NFL, per Spotrac.

Following an offseason in which they were severely limited in terms of cap flexibility and without a first round pick, the Bears are now set to enter the 2023 offseason with picks to draft with and by far the most cap space in the NFL ($100M+).

Plenty of resources to work with.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 26, 2022

If Poles’ intention is to acquire capital for next year’s draft, he shouldn’t hesitate to ship veterans on expiring contracts like David Montgomery, who has been involved in trade rumors for weeks.

There is no reason why Poles must continue to pay for the sins of former GM Ryan Pace. Although fans will be disappointed to see some of their favorite players in different uniforms, it’s Poles’ job to set this team up for success in the future.

Featured image via Matt Marton – USA TODAY Sports