Only two players from the 2018 NFL draft remained unsigned by Monday, July 30th. That changed when the New York Jets successfully reached an agreement with quarterback and #3 pick Sam Darnold, who has finally reported to camp. This leaves Chicago Bears #8 pick Roquan Smith as the lone holdout. This has made the Bears look inept in their ability to get the deal done, but that won’t last.
Smith has a lot of people in his corner right now. He’s facing an uncertain future thanks to new NFL rule changes that directly affect his position at linebacker. He wants as much security in his contract as he can get and is willing to fight for it. That’s all fine and good. Meanwhile, the Bears are looking like the villains for fighting back. What do they need that little extra money for anyway?
All the while GM Ryan Pace has not in anyway disparaged Smith or his agents, merely calling it part of the process.
“Sometimes all the details aren’t maybe fully out there. We’re going to work through it and we’re going to do it the right way with agents that we respect, with a player that we respect.”
Here’s the thing. That grace period Smith seems to be enjoying right now? It’s going to vanish soon. Football fans don’t identify with players who’ve done nothing for their team. They support the team, the logo above all else. Smith is a high draft choice and viewed as the future. That’s been saving him for now, but sooner or later this holdout will become annoying to them.
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A reminder of when Bears rookies have signed contracts in the era of the rookie wage scale pic.twitter.com/Hd1IHo33qN
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) July 30, 2018
Roquan Smith is also adding pressure with the longer the holdout goes
Keep in mind that being a top 10 pick alone puts pressure on the shoulders of a young player. Smith will not only have to deal with that but now he’s decided to double down with his play for a better contract. If he performs up to expectations, all is well. If he doesn’t? It’s going to turn all of Chicago against him at an even more rapid speed than what happened to Kevin White.
He’ll go from looking like a kid just trying to secure his future to a selfish player who put himself before the team. Is that right? Depends on who you ask but that will be the narrative. Why? Players come and go. The team stays. The only way to win the fans is to be great. Smith is basically saying just give him what he wants and he’ll be great. Don’t worry. The Bears aren’t willing to take that risk. Hence the impasse.
🤔👀👇 (h/t @yeahitsbh) pic.twitter.com/NUHwX95FGB
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) July 30, 2018
Joey Bosa, who went through the same scenario a few years ago and is represented by the same agents, got away with it because he’s become one of the top pass rushers in the NFL. Yet there are plenty of other cases where such a maneuver backfired spectacularly. Look up the name JaMarcus Russell for an idea. Now the odds of Smith being that bad are remote, but it’s a chilling reminder of the potential disaster he could be setting up for himself.
All that can be said is that he better perform whenever he does finally get on the field.
