Roquan Smith is sending a message to the Chicago Bears
Seems like things escalated quickly between the Chicago Bears and Roquan Smith. Smith is about to play in the final year of his contract and it would be beneficial to both sides for the two to strike a deal now, rather than after the season. It should be pointed out that Roquan Smith also represents himself rather than using an agent. Well, it appears that since he is not hearing any offers that are remotely close to what he thinks he deserves, he is instead going to hold out from training camp.
Reports are coming out that Roquan Smith plans to hold out of Bears training camp. Veterans are supposed to report tomorrow and the team has its first practice on Wednesday.
#Bears All-Pro LB Roquan Smith will not be participating in training camp when veteran report tomorrow, sources say, because of his contract situation. Smith has not yet received an offer he would remotely consider, thus he’ll wait.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 25, 2022
Well, now it appears that this isn’t going to be a “hold out”, but rather a “hold in”, where Roquan Smith will report to training camp, but will not practice until he receives a new contract.
Perhaps this means a "hold in" for Roquan. That's what TJ Watt did in Pittsburgh last summer. He was present but didn't practice as he sought a new contract.https://t.co/m7ibuBtN3a
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) July 25, 2022
If I were the Chicago Bears, I’d make this happen relatively soon. The problem is, the team might not want to sign Roquan Smith as much as fans do. It’s also possible that Roquan Smith wants more money than Darius Leonard received last year — five years and worth $99.2 million and $52.5 million guaranteed.
The Chicago Bears will have to wait to see Roquan Smith at training camp
This cost could potentially be Ryan Pace’s fault since he didn’t sign him to a long-term deal last year vs. picking up the fifth-year option. Sure, it costs more upfront, but usually is less in the long run. Now, it’s expected for the slightly younger player to receive even more money because it’s a new year. This is usually how things go, even if that player hasn’t proven himself as much as the currently top-paid player at the same position.
I wouldn’t panic at this point. Roquan Smith is very talented and being at camp, absorbing the information, will help keep him up-to-date on everything going on with the new regime and system. The only reason one might panic is Ryan Poles and the new regime (Cliff Stein) are not off to a good start with contracts. They had Kyler Gordon hold out with an injury earlier because of his contract. Now, Jaquan Brisker and apparently Roquan Smith are doing the same.
If I had to guess, Roquan Smith should deserve just under the Darius Leonard and maybe just under the Fred Warner contracts. I’d pay him somewhere in between as I believe Smith is just as good, if not better than Warner. Leonard’s insane amount of takeaways puts him as the best inside linebacker in the league right now. With it being a new year though, it’s possible Smith will receive slightly more and will probably hit that $100-million mark.