According to multiple reports, the Ravens have agreed to acquire Smith in a trade. Check out his trade news and Twitter details here.
Roquan Smith : Trade news | Bears trade | Twitter
Smith was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the eighth overall pick in the first-round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
His contract signing was significantly delayed due to contract disputes between the Bears and Smith’s agency CAA Football over language in his rookie contract stating whether his guaranteed money would be reclaimed by the team if he was suspended due to the NFL’s new rule outlawing contact leading with the helmet.
CAA argued for wording that would protect Smith’s guaranteed earnings, while the Bears preferred for decisions to be determined by the league, a situation that was exacerbated by skepticism surrounding the rule and the frequency of tackling in Smith’s role.
Roquan Smith trade news
This is now the second straight week the Chicago Bears have traded one of their key defensive pieces. This move now furthers their plan in preparing for the off-season.
Smith was a hold-in for much of the Bears’ training camp as he and first-year GM Ryan Poles negotiated a new deal. The talks turned ugly and Smith, who was representing himself, released a scathing statement on the team.
“The deal sent to me is one that would be bad for myself, and for the entire LB market if I signed it,” Smith wrote on Aug. 11. “I’ve been trying to get something done that’s fair since April, but their focus has been taking advantage of me.”
According to The Athletic, Smith — an off-ball linebacker — played every down on defense this season for the 3-5 Bears. Smith has 83 tackles, 2 ½ sacks and two interceptions. He was fifth in the NFL last season with 163 overall tackles.
The Bears are set up nicely in terms of draft capital and cap space. Chicago has over $100 million available cap space which is first in the NFL. The Bears roster is not that great, but the roster is young and has potential. Second year quarterback Justin Fields has had a really good month after a slow start to begin the season.
Chicago’s coaching staff has finally figured out how to use Fields. Fields is a dynamic runner and has improved somewhat as a passer. Maybe Fields’ potential will attract some free agents down the line.
For the Ravens, this is an interesting move. They didn’t really give up much draft capital wise as they are in win now mode.
Roquan Smith Bears trade
The Ravens acquired Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith on Monday, a team source confirmed, completing the deal a day before the NFL trade deadline.
A source told that the Ravens are sending the Bears a second- and a fifth-round pick in 2023 for Smith, who tops the NFL with 83 tackles this season.
As part of the trade, the Ravens also sent linebacker A.J. Klein to Chicago, a source told Schefter.
Smith was owed $5.408 million for the rest of the season. As part of the trade agreement, the Bears are paying Smith $4.833 million while the Ravens are paying him the league-minimum $575,000 for the rest of the season, sources told Schefter.
Baltimore has long been looking to upgrade at inside linebacker, as Josh Bynes has struggled and Patrick Queen has fallen short of first-round expectations.
In late March, the Ravens were close to landing free agent Bobby Wagner, who decided to sign with the Los Angeles Rams. Smith, 25, has the second-most tackles (606) in the NFL since 2018, trailing only Wagner (656).
A two-time second-team All-Pro, Smith provides leadership and playmaking ability to a Ravens defense that is allowing 22.9 points per game, which ranks 20th in the NFL. That’s on pace for Baltimore’s worst defensive scoring ranking since 2015.
This is another aggressive move by Eric DeCosta, who made his third trade-deadline deal in his fourth year as Ravens general manager. Baltimore acquired cornerback Marcus Peters in 2019 and pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue in 2020. Fox Sports first reported the trade.
Smith was playing out the final year of his rookie contract — a $9.7 million fifth-year option — after the linebacker and the Bears failed to come to an agreement on an extension during the offseason.
Twitter reacts to the Bears trading Roquan Smith to the Ravens.
The Roquan Smith era is officially over in Chicago. The Bears and general manager Ryan Poles shocked the NFL world on Halloween, dealing the star linebacker to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for a second and fifth-round pick just 24 hours before the NFL trade deadline.
The deal comes less than a week after the Bears dealt pass rusher Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles. The news was first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The news of the trade sent shockwaves across social media, leaving both Bears and NFL fans stunned by the move.