Say this for Ryan Poles. He is not your typical Chicago Bears GM. The man isn’t shy about taking difficult issues head-on. That was clear following the big Tuesday morning news that star linebacker Roquan Smith requested a trade due to frustrating negotiations over his desired contract extension. He pointed the finger at Poles and the front office for trying to take advantage of him. It would’ve been easy for the GM to hang back in the shadows and hope for the storm clouds to blow over.
Poles isn’t that type of guy. Shortly after practice ended at Soldier Field, the GM stepped in front of the Bears media for about three minutes to discuss the situation. He sounded disappointed that things have reached this point. He believed the team negotiated with Smith in good faith and made a strong offer. Unfortunately, emotions got involved (remember Smith is negotiating without an agent), and now the linebacker wants out. That hasn’t changed Poles’ stance. He wants to keep the 25-year-old in Chicago.
#Bears GM Ryan Poles addressed the Roquan Smith situation. He spoke for about three minutes. Here was the beginning. pic.twitter.com/2Y4fQo4wrK
— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) August 9, 2022
Bears GM Ryan Poles: “My feelings for Roquan haven’t changed at all.. I love the kid, love what he’s done on the field… We’ve shown respect very early. I thought [the offers] showed him the respect he deserved.”
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) August 9, 2022
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Ryan Poles: “There are record-setting pieces for this contract that I thought would show (Roquan Smith) the respect that he deserves, and obviously that hasn’t been the case. … We’re doing everything we can to get this done.”
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) August 9, 2022
"Right now my intentions are to sign Roquan to this team" – Bears GM Ryan Poles
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) August 9, 2022
Ryan Poles didn’t create this situation.
An easy case could be made it started before the 2021 season. Smith had already played three terrific seasons for the Bears by that point. Former GM Ryan Pace had all the incentive in the world to sign the linebacker to his extension then. He didn’t do it. Instead, he procrastinated, and now Poles is getting the blame. The truth is Smith is playing every card he has to strong-arm the Bears into the contract he wants. Asking for a trade is hardly a revolutionary tactic.
It doesn’t sound like Ryan Poles will be intimidated by it. While he wants to keeping the star linebacker in Chicago, his first responsibility is to do what’s best for the Chicago Bears. That means paying a fair contract that works out for both sides. Smith isn’t happy about that. The Bears have no reason to rush. They have him under contract for all of 2022 and can use the franchise tag to keep him in 2023.
So Roquan has two choices. Either he returns to the negotiating table to hammer a deal where he’ll still be one of the highest-paid linebackers in the league, or he can sit at home for the rest of the season.
