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Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith was hoping for a contract extension this offseason. When it didn't happen, he requested a trade. But, Smith ultimately returned to practice and healed his relationship with the team.
Smith insists he's focused on showing out this season for the Bears instead of worrying about a new deal and GM Ryan Poles has the utmost belief that he will live up to all expectations:
“First of all, Roquan Smith is a good player — that’s never changed,” Poles said, via Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times. “And he’s a good dude. I have faith that he’s gonna have a good year, and we’ll work on our relationship and all that.”
“It’s not even a bad thing, either. We’ve all been there, right? You have disagreements and you have to come back together and be teammates. That’s what I expect.”
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Roquan Smith sat out most of training camp after his trade request then decided to get back to work. He's heading into the final year of his rookie contract and Poles has no doubts the former first-round pick will get a hefty payday in the near future:
“It’s human nature,” Poles said. “When things happen and two sides don’t agree on something, it’s gonna take a little time to do that. I’ve got a lot of faith that’s going to happen, and I’m excited for it.”
2021 was a fantastic year for Roquan Smith, finishing with 163 total tackles, three sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and an interception. He's also been named a second-team All-Pro in back-to-back seasons. Smith is undoubtedly going to be an important part of the Bears defense once again.
