Roquan Smith has asked to be traded by the Chicago Bears amidst contract talks

Linebacker Roquan Smith of the Chicago Bears has reportedly asked to be traded. However, there has been little movement in satisfying Roquan Smith’s desire for a hefty contract extension, and the patience of his camp is wearing thin. The linebacker has been playing hard to get and has not been attending training camp.

The 25-year-old linebacker declared that the “new front office regime does not value me here” after Smith stated that he had been negotiating a contract extension since April.

In addition, the still Bears player stated that “they’ve refused to negotiate in good faith. Every step of this journey has been ‘take it or leave it.’ The deal sent to me is one that would be bad for myself, and for the entire LB market if I signed it.”

Roquan Smith and the Bears in numbers

With the eighth overall choice in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears drafted Roquan Smith. Smith has accumulated 524 total tackles throughout his four-year NFL career. Smith is among the elite NFL linebackers. Since joining the Bears, he has recorded 14.0 sacks and five interceptions.

Smith was placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list when he arrived at camp in late July. This occurred shortly after Smith had been scheduled to earn $9.7 million in the last year of his rookie contract.

In April, Smith expressed optimism that he would continue to reside in Chicago if he signed a new contract. He was an active participant in the voluntary workouts and the mandated minicamps. In his statement, the linebacker expressed his desire to spend the entirety of his professional football career playing with the Bears.

Smith, 25, claimed the Bears’ front office was “trying to take advantage of me” and that the organization “left me no choice but to request a trade that allows me to play for an organization that actually values what I contribute.”