One of Chicago’s Final Remaining Stars Has Requested a Trade
Josh Frey
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Throughout the 2022 offseason, the Chicago Bears have essentially torn down their once vaunted defense. They traded Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers, allowed Akiem Hicks to leave for the Buccaneers, and both Alec Ogletree and Danny Trevathan remain free agents. Now, one of the final dominoes has fallen with LB Roquan Smith requesting a trade.
The veteran linebacker has been a workhorse for the Bears throughout his career. Smith has recorded over 100 tackles in each of his first four seasons in the NFL while being a “do-it-all” player for Chicago’s defense. In 2021, he had 163 tackles, 12 TFLs, 3.0 sacks, three passes defensed, and an interception that he took all the way back for a pick-six. For his efforts, he’s been named to the AP Second-Team All-Pro in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
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The trade request comes on the heels of a hold-in while the Bears and Jackson disputed his contract. In the end, Jackson was not satisfied with the, in his words, “take it or leave it” approach that Chicago’s front office used in the negotiations. In his explanation for the request, Smith said that the Bears new regime “don’t value” him.
Finally, Smith claimed that taking the contract that he was offered would be bad for the overall linebacker market. Next offseason, there are a number of notable linebackers headed towards free agency including Bradley Chubb, Kyle Van Noy, Leighton Vander Esch, and Tremaine Edmunds.
As far as competition within the NFC North, a trade of Smith would send ripple effects throughout the division. The Detroit Lions have been nipping at the heels (or perhaps kneecaps) of the Chicago Bears in terms of roster talent all offseason, and you could argue that they are already ahead of them. If Chicago were to get rid of their star ILB, it would leave little doubt that the Bears are the favorites to finish last in the division.
The Minnesota Vikings first matchup with the Bears happens on October 9th when Chicago heads to U.S. Bank Stadium for Week 5. We shall see if Smith is still a Bear when that game happens.
