Roquan Daevon Smith is an American football linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. Check out his details here.
Roquan Smith : bears, stats, trade, contract, jersey
Smith attended Macon County High School in Montezuma, Georgia, where he played football for the Bulldogs.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | April 8, 1997 Mount Vernon, Georgia |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Macon County (Montezuma, Georgia) |
| College: | Georgia (2015–2017) |
| NFL Draft: | 2018 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8 |
He originally committed to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to play college football but changed his commitment to the University of Georgia.
He played college football at Georgia. Smith became the first Georgia Bulldog to win the Butkus Award.
Roquan Smith bears
On April 27, 2021, the Bears exercised the fifth-year option on Smith’s contract, which guarantees a salary of $9.7 million for the 2022 season.
On September 19, Smith intercepted a pass by Joe Burrow and returned it 53 yards for a touchdown in a 20–17 win against the Cincinnati Bengals.
| Career NFL statistics as of 2021 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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On November 8, Smith recorded a sack alongside 12 total tackles in a 29–27 Monday Night Football loss which saw the Bears fall to a 3–6 record on the season.
On November 21, Smith recorded a career-high total of 17 tackles, two of which were tackles for losses, in a 16–14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
It was the most tackles by a Bears player in a single game since Brian Urlacher had 19 in 2006.
Smith finished the season with one interception and 163 total tackles, the fifth-most in the NFL.
He was named to NFL.com’s All-Pro team and the Associated Press’ second team All-Pro.
Stats
In Week 9 against the Tennessee Titans, Smith recorded a team-high 11 tackles and sacked Ryan Tannehill once during the 24–17 loss.
And in Week 10 against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, Smith recorded a team-high 14 tackles and sacked Kirk Cousins once during the 19–13 loss.
In Week 14 against the Houston Texans, Smith led the team with 12 tackles and two sacks during the 36–7 win.
|
Year
|
Team
|
COMB
|
AST
|
Sack
|
INT
|
YDS
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2021
|
CHI
|
163
|
68
|
3.0
|
1
|
53
|
|
2020
|
CHI
|
139
|
41
|
4.0
|
2
|
16
|
|
2019
|
CHI
|
101
|
35
|
2.0
|
1
|
0
|
|
2018
|
CHI
|
121
|
32
|
5.0
|
1
|
22
|
|
Career
|
|
524
|
176
|
14.0
|
5
|
91
|
During the Bears’ 41–17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16, Smith intercepted Mike Glennon twice to become the first Bears player with multiple interceptions in a game since Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in 2019. Smith was also the team’s first linebacker to achieve the feat since Lance Briggs in 2008.
The Bears made it back to the playoffs, for the second time in Smith’s career.
However, he was inactive in their appearance, a 21–9 loss against the New Orleans Saints, after suffering an elbow injury in the final game of the season.
Roquan Smith trade
The relationship between the new front office in Chicago and one of their star defenders has likely reached a breaking point. Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith has requested a trade.
Smith, who is in the final year of his rookie deal, has been seeking a new contract from the Bears. In a statement from the linebacker that was released on social media, he states that “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.”
Smith also references the long list of standout defenders in Chicago history. “Walking these hallways the past four years, you can feel the spirit, you feel the pressure to live up to that timeless history, that great legacy.
I dreamed of playing like Wilbur Marshall, Singletary, Briggs, Urlacher, Butkus!”
Over his four years in Chicago, Smith has tallied 524 total tackles, along with 14 sacks and five interceptions. He started every game for the Bears the past two seasons, and last year set a career-high mark with 163 total tackles.
Contract
Roquan Smith signed a 4 year, $18,477,168 contract with the Chicago Bears, including a $11,517,941 signing bonus, $18,477,168 guaranteed.
| Contract: | 4 yr(s) / $18,477,168 |
| Signing Bonus | $11,517,941 |
| Average Salary | $4,619,292 |
| Total Guarantees | $18,477,168 |
| Guaranteed at Signing | $18,477,168 |
| Free Agent: | 2023 / UFA |
Smith is holding out after not receiving an acceptable offer from the team, per Ian Rapoport. Smith, who recorded a career-high 163 tackles last season, is slated to make $9.735 million — all guaranteed — this season after Chicago picked up his fifth-year option last spring.
When asked about his contract in the spring, Smith said his goal was to remain with the Bears, who in 2018 selected him with the eighth overall pick in the NFL draft.
Jersey
Ever since he joined the Bears Jersey in 2018, Roquan Smith has often returned home to Macon County in central Georgia to give back to the community.
During his most recent visit a few weeks ago, the two-time All-Pro linebacker hosted a football camp for about 200 kids ages 5-17. This time, however, the small rural area where he grew up also gave back to him.
Macon County High School, where Smith built the foundation for a stellar football career that later took him to the University of Georgia and the NFL, retired the No. 1 jersey that he wore as a prep star.
“As a kid growing up in such a small town, in such a small rural area, it’s crazy just knowing that no one will ever wear that jersey again,” said Smith, who hails from Montezuma, Ga., a town with just under 3,000 residents.
“It seems so surreal. All the hard work you did in high school, college and even in the NFL, reflecting back on that is pretty sweet. I’m proud, but I have more work to do; I’ve got to keep making my town and county proud.”