What a way to start the morning: Bears All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith has formally requested a trade, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Smith said he’s been deadlocked in contract negotiations with the team since April, but he hasn’t gotten a fair deal. He said the offer he received would be bad for himself and the entire linebacker market.
Smith said he lost trust in the organization in their attempts to take advantage of him during contract negotiations. He also feels like it hasn’t been so much as a negotiation rather than them pressuring him to a “take it or leave it” deal.
Smith reiterated that he wanted to finish his career in Chicago, “but the new front office regime doesn’t value me here.”
He hasn’t spoken to George McCaskey yet. And it sounds likes the McCaskeys are our last hope.
“Maybe they can salvage this, but as of right now I don’t see a path back to the organization I truly love,” he said.
However you slice it, this is a terrible look for first-year general manager Ryan Poles.
As you can imagine, the reaction across Twitter was entertaining, to say the least. There were fans throwing their respective teams into the ring for Smith’s services to Bears fans bemoaning an unfortunate start for Family Fest. Heck, there were some even clamoring for the return of former GM Ryan Pace.
Here’s how Twitter is reacting to Smith’s trade request:
The inability to make Roquan happy sends a bad message to the locker room and the public. Trading him would send a worse message. https://t.co/tq6kvqZY2o
— Dan Pompei (@danpompei) August 9, 2022
Pain. https://t.co/IItMr17sB3
— Ryan Heckman (@TheRyanHeckman) August 9, 2022
Roquan asking to be traded but saying McCaskey's could save it certainly leaves the door ajar
The LB market part should be irrelevant but apparently matters some to him
Interesting /ironic / strategic? move the first LB he named -Wilbur Marshall- the Bears also didn't pay
— Mark Carman (@thecarm) August 9, 2022
Maybe this is a strong arm tactic by Roquan Smith to get what he wants in contact negotiations but needless to say not a good look on Poles.
— Bears Nation (@BearsNationCHI) August 9, 2022
Another day as a #DaBears fan https://t.co/8z6VBMZ7Ut pic.twitter.com/QBBmUAL3ac
— 🅑🅔🅐🅡🅢🅖🅡🅛 (@BearsGrl80) August 9, 2022
Not a great look for Ryan Poles if Roquan is traded… https://t.co/TXg0UnLZ3K
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) August 9, 2022
Bring back Ryan Pace. https://t.co/R8OVOEiiay
— Joe Ostrowski (@JoeOstrowski) August 9, 2022
Poles & The Front Office Need to get this deal done or their reputation will be at stake.
Roquan Smith needs to hire an agent.
— The Irish Bears Show (@IrishBearsShow) August 9, 2022
What the hell is Poles doing? 🤦🏻♂️ https://t.co/X2K5xbzNVV
— Brandon Franco (@FrankGrizzly) August 9, 2022
Probably not the way the Bears wanted to kick off Family Fest day. https://t.co/goXFljWxba
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) August 9, 2022
This is really shitty. Especially since #dabears have the cap space to get a long term deal. Roquan has been elite and has earned a long term deal. I believe he can transcend the scheme change. It would be a huge L for Poles and the Bears to actually lose this caliber of player. https://t.co/1FUbedpKPB pic.twitter.com/uagMwgNb8z
— Devin Deal ✶✶✶✶ (@DevinDeal) August 9, 2022
Well … that escalated quickly https://t.co/K6Cdz87fYw
— Josh Schrock (@Schrock_And_Awe) August 9, 2022
Bears management needs to load the last save and try all over again https://t.co/T3DFdb3OYp
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) August 9, 2022
From “hold-in” to “get me out!” https://t.co/X7J8BC6UXx
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) August 9, 2022
Likely just the next step in the hold-in, and it worked for Deebo Samuel, but the Bears should at least entertain the idea…
Hard to see Bears getting great draft capital in return is the issue. There's no rookie contract benefit here for an acquiring team, gotta pay him ASAP https://t.co/KtCAtRzrj1
— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@PFF_Brad) August 9, 2022
Hopefully this is just posturing https://t.co/UzAx3Ym6a4 pic.twitter.com/vGzUk9QwgO
— Drew’s Card Shop (@drewscardshop) August 9, 2022
Negotiating tactic? Why do #DaBears lately seem to alienate their best players on these contract extension negotiations? Maybe this can get resolved like Lance Briggs’ situations all those years ago.#Bears https://t.co/EqXxFshXEh
— Todd Welter (@toddjdub) August 9, 2022
Now pay the man! 🐻⬇️ https://t.co/e2TvulPmMp
— Terence M. Young (@Terence_M_Young) August 9, 2022
Whoever gets him will be lucky. I have been uneasy about the new Bears' management, and stuff I've heard behind the scenes about how they've come in, and this just confirms everything I've heard. https://t.co/ZLqSRMgPiV
— Maggie Hendricks (@maggiehendricks) August 9, 2022
I love how I got drilled when I DARED point out red flags of Ryan Poles. This is exactly what I was talking about.
There is absolutely no excuse why a deal couldn't get done. You can go ahead and try to spinzone this all you want, this is not a great look for Poles.
Disgusting. https://t.co/dOlemCaLP3
— Duke Coughlin (@ThatPodGuyDuke) August 9, 2022
Goodness. How did they botch this?!?? https://t.co/Jm4UmQ8cdx
— Bear Report (@BearReport) August 9, 2022
It is worth noting players do this all the time as a way to put pressure on the front office, but Roquan wants to be the highest paid ILB in football and it really appears Poles truly doesn’t see his value as that and if that’s the case, he won’t be a #Bear in 2022 https://t.co/yfQW2nAC1d
— Bears Nation Podcast (@BearsNationPod) August 9, 2022
Tough reading this, He’s the anchor of the Defense and The Leader! Why would they low-ball Roqaun like that Com’on #DaBears https://t.co/YcghKVVFrJ pic.twitter.com/l6viRIP3CX
— Just🥶Acy🥶Dawg™️ (@Just_Acy) August 9, 2022
Bears are a poverty franchise, part 3,768. https://t.co/Bi4KhxdblX
— Dan Cohen (@DanCohenTV) August 9, 2022
Poles has had a terrible first year. Don’t care what anyone says https://t.co/iBmzGB1ljc
— Brian (@CountryWhisky) August 9, 2022
Welp, at least requesting a trade and getting traded are two separate things? https://t.co/00NOXoQBmB
— Thomas Loper (@T_Loper1) August 9, 2022
Ryan Poles is destroying the Bears
Probably because he doesn’t have a masters of economics
Glad you got me, Minnesota? https://t.co/kZR7evg6Da
— Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (@NotKwesiAdofoM) August 9, 2022
