Chicago Bears: 3 personnel decisions Ryan Poles must make quickly
Ryan Poles will need to work out a contract extension for Roquan Smith
This is not necessarily a decision that Ryan Poles needs to act on right away, but I do believe it is a decision he has to make right away. While Poles goes through the books and looks at where the team stands from a salary cap perspective, he has to make the decision immediately on what he plans to do with Roquan Smith going forward.
Smith is under contract through 2022, but extending him sooner could actually not only give Smith a sense of security to play at the level he has been playing at the last two years, but also could save the Bears in the long run. Last year, we saw Fred Warner sign a five-year, $95.25 million dollar deal that extended him through the 2026 season. My assumption here is that Smith will want to see something more, but similar. Let’s ballpark a five-year deal worth $105 million.
Ryan Poles should be able to see how this will affect the books not only in 2023 but also beyond. Where can he allocate other funds? Where can he cut corners? Poles has to see the big picture at the same time as focusing on the micro details. Roquan Smith was a Ryan Pace pick, but he has been the best first-round pick of Pace’s tenure. He has been one of the best linebackers in the NFL and deserves a contract extension. Poles would lose the fan base quickly if he doesn’t make the right decision and start planning on how he’s going to extend Smith before it is too late.