In 2013 Quinn’s grade set a new standard for the position

Quinn, Rams Agree to Four-year Extension

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2014/09/13/robert-quinn-signs-monster-extension-is-he-worth-the-money/

According to Adam Schefter the St Louis Rams just inked defensive end Robert Quinn to 4-year, $66.575M extension that includes $41.2M guaranteed. That’s a serious outlay for anybody, and keeps Quinn tied to the team until 2019.

The Rams drafted Quinn in the first round of the 2011 draft and though he flashed as a rookie and sophomore it wasn’t until 2013 that he really broke out, and did so in spectacular fashion.

He sacked the quarterback 19 times in 2013, two more than his first two seasons combined, and led the NFL with 91 total pressures (sacks, hits and hurries). This figure was more than double his 2012 total as well, and we saw a player who became the most fearsome and devastating speed rusher the league has seen in a long time. Quinn was able to burst around offensive tackles seemingly at will, frequently rounding the tackle and closing on the quarterback in under two seconds. He showed the kind of burst that blockers just can’t live with, and used that speed to scare them into overcommitting, opening up that key inside move that becomes the most devastating weapon of outside edge rushers.

PFF thought we had seen a pretty high standard set by elite 4-3 defensive ends from what Cameron Wake had been able to achieve in Miami. The best grade Wake has ever produced over a full season was a massive +51.2 in 2012. That was more than 20 grading points ahead of any other 4-3 DE that year and around 15 points better than anything we had seen before. In 2013 Quinn’s end of season grade was +74.6, blowing Wake out of the water and setting a new standard for the position.

His overall grade for Week 1 against Minnesota was just 0.1 but his pass-rushing grade was a +2.4. There is little doubt that right now Quinn is one of the toughest pass-rushers to stop in football, and now he’s one of the richest.