The Chicago Bears have been without star linebacker Roquan Smith for the first two weeks of training camp as he remains on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
Tthe bigger concern is the status of contract negotiations between Smith and the team. Smith is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and he’s gearing up for a big pay day.
But according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, both sides are still far apart when it comes to hammering out an extension.
“They definitely got a ways to go when it comes to a long term deal,” Breer said on NBC Sports Chicago’s Unfiltered with David Kaplan.
While Smith is unable to practice due to being on the PUP list, the expectation was he wasn’t going to participate given the uncertainty of his contract situation.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, “Smith has not yet received an offer he would remotely consider, thus he’ll wait.”
When looking at some of the other big contract extensions going down around the NFL, the hope is Smith and the Bears come to terms sooner rather than later.
