Amid Roquan Smith’s request for the Bears to trade him, Chicago took the linebacker off the PUP list. Smith was originally put on the list as he was not willing to practice as he looks for a new contract.
The linebacker isn’t injured, but putting him on the PUP list meant the Bears had to pay him his entire salary. Now that Smith is off the list, Chicago can fine him $40,000 for not practicing while he awaits a new contract or a trade, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.
Smith first requested a trade from the team on Tuesday, as he doesn’t believe the team values him enough.
“They’ve refused to negotiate in good faith, every step of this journey has been ‘take it or leave it’,” Smith said. “The deal sent to me is one that would be bad for myself, and for the entire LB market if I signed it. I’ve been trying to get something done that’s fair since April, but their focus has been on trying to take advantage of me.”
Despite the trade request, Bears general manager said the team has no intention of trading Smith and still wants to sign him long term.
“Right now, my intention is to sign Roquan to this team,” Poles said. “We’re gonna take it day by day and at the end of the day we got to do what’s best for the organization. But my intention are to make sure Roquan Smith is on this team.”
Smith is set to play the final year of his rookie contract in 2022 with a salary of $9.7 million.
