After 11 days of holding out, it's official: Roquan Smith will remain with the Chicago Bears. The All-Pro linebacker made his trade request public more than a week ago. Smith cited problems with the way the front office handled contract negotiations with him. He felt lowballed, disrespected by the franchise that he worked hard for.
However, as of the moment, Roquan Smith has rescinded his trade request. After his scathing comments against the Bears front office, why is Smith back on the team? The reason: Ryan Poles wasn't really interested in trading the All-Pro linebacker. A report by Jeff Howe of The Athletic revealed that the team didn't even attempt to shop Smith.
“Executives from eight teams told The Athletic over the past week the Bears never reached out to shop Smith. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean Poles didn’t quietly have conversations with other clubs, but word around the league was the Bears weren’t actively trying to move him.”
For now, Smith will rejoin a Bears roster filled with talented playmakers at the defensive positions. In fact, their defense was one of the few bright spots of their disastrous 2021 season. However, what lies beyond the 2022 season is still a big question mark. Will the Bears try to repair their relationship with Smith? Or will they eventually trade him after the season?
As for the Bears offense, they are dealing with some serious losses at the skill positions. Already depleted at wide receiver, they lost a potential starter in N'Keal Harry.
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