Bears fans woke up to quite a shock on Tuesday when star linebacker Roquan Smith formally requested a trade. While the assumption was contract negotiations weren’t going well — given Smith planned on “holding in” at training camp — it was worse than we imagined.
In a detailed message shared by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Smith said he lost trust in the organization in their attempts to take advantage of him during contract negotiations. He also feels like it hasn’t been so much as a negotiation rather than them pressuring him with a “take it or leave it” deal.
General manager Ryan Poles addressed the situation following Tuesday’s Family Fest practice, where he expressed his intentions to sign Smith.
There was plenty to digest from Smith’s trade request. Our Bears Wire staff is sharing their reactions to Smith requesting a trade and what it could mean for the future.
