Roquan Smith returned to Bears practice on Saturday, ending his training camp hold-in. He and Ryan Poles were not able to reach an agreement on a new contract extension, but Smith said negotiations are done, so he's focusing on the upcoming season now.
"I'm betting on myself," Smith said.
Smith only participated in individual drills at practice on Saturday as the team ramps him up into football shape.
Smith hadn’t participated in any work on the field since OTAs over the summer. Teammates and coaches said Smith had remained engaged with the team during his hold-in, both in meetings and by hanging out on the sidelines during practice and preseason games. Now rejoining Nick Morrow in the middle of the defense will help the team as a whole, as Smith’s weakside linebacker position is a key cog in Matt Eberflus’ and Alan Williams’ scheme.
Earlier this year, both the Bears and Smith expressed confidence that an agreement on a new deal could be reached. But when the two sides seemed to reach a stalemate, things got ugly. Smith released a statement through Ian Rapoport, accusing the team of negotiating in bad faith and saying he didn’t believe there was a path back to the organization for him. The statement culminated in a trade request. Ryan Poles was taken aback by the statement, but maintained that his intentions were to re-sign Smith, and not trade him to another team. Negotiations were also complicated by the fact that Smith doesn’t have an agent, and represents himself.
Smith has led the Bears in tackles every single season of his career. He was named second-team All-Pro in 2020 and 2021.
