Tag: Roquan Smith Trade

Should the Cardinals Trade for Bears LB Roquan Smith?

With Bears inside linebacker Roquan Smith requesting a trade out of Chicago, could the Cardinals be one of the suitors?

The Arizona Cardinals have been heavily linked to a Chicago Bears linebacker this offseason, but not the one circling the news this afternoon.

Bears inside linebacker Roquan Smith requested a trade out of the organization Tuesday afternoon. Smith is one of the best at his position and is seeking his first big contract in the NFL. He has been a second-team All-Pro each of the last two seasons.

At just age 25, Smith will likely generate tons of interest from across the NFL. Could the Cardinals be one of those teams to pick up the phone to the Windy City area code?

General Manager Steve Keim has spent his entire tenure with the Cardinals searching for long-term stability at the inside linebacker position. While he’s had some short-term success, he’s struggled to find that elite presence in the middle of the field.

The Cardinals under Keim have selected four inside linebackers in the first round in Deone Bucannon, Haason Reddick, Isaiah Simmons and Zaven Collins. Only one is currently slated to play the inside linebacker position for an NFL team this season. Given the front office’s infatuation with the position, it is almost guaranteed they will at least inquire about a player of Smith’s caliber.

Similar to the running back position, many teams have become hesitant to allocate premium contracts to inside linebackers. Reports surfaced Tuesday that the Bears gave Smith a ‘disrespectful’ offer.

For the Cardinals, they would have to send over high draft capital or young players (or a combination of the two). They would then have to commit a lucrative contract extension for Smith. A contract to compare could San Francisco’s Fred Warner, who inked a five-year, $95 million contract with $40 million guaranteed.

The Cardinals are currently slated to start former first-round pick Zaven Collins and journeyman Nick Vigil at the two starting inside linebacker spots. There are certainly a ton of question marks there.

Acquiring Roquan Smith would be undoubtedly pricy, but would give the team an elite player on defense for the next half decade. The Cardinals have struggled with run defense and overall physicality at times under Vance Joseph. Smith solves a ton of those problems and gives the team a much more threatening defense in the daunting NFC West.

Perhaps Steve Keim can put together another extraordinary trade for the Cardinals, which he’s proven capable of. In all likelihood, however, this would get very pricy.

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Should Chargers consider trade for Bears LB Roquan Smith?

The Chargers could benefit from this type of talent in the linebacker room.

The Chargers could once again turn to the Windy City for defensive reinforcements.

On Tuesday, Bears linebacker Roquan Smith formally requested a trade, saying in a statement released on social media that the new front office has “refused to negotiate in good faith” on a potential contract extension.

After trading for edge rusher Khalil Mack earlier this offseason, Los Angeles has established a rapport with new Bears general manager Ryan Poles. They also could use reinforcements at linebacker, especially with Kenneth Murray, Drue Tranquill, and Kyle Van Noy all missing time at some point during training camp.

Smith is arguably a top ten linebacker in the NFL and would give the Bolts a dual threat run stopper and coverage linebacker that would open up Brandon Staley’s defense even further. But such a trade would undoubtedly come at a high cost, both in terms of capital and contract extension. The former top ten pick wants a deal that will be “fair” for both him and the rest of the linebacker market, which suggests he likely wants a deal with upwards of $15 million a year. Chicago will also not want to take a discount to deal Smith, whose bluff they’ve been trying to call all offseason as the linebacker holds out. That means it’ll take a high draft pick and/or an ascending player to fit the Bears’ rebuilding timeline to get the deal done.

Ultimately, while it’s fun to speculate on the Chargers getting hyper-aggressive now that they’ve made one splashy offseason trade, I don’t think they will likely pursue a trade for Smith. They already have two franchise cornerstones due for big-money extensions – Derwin James has sat out all of training camp waiting for his extension, and Justin Herbert is eligible for his extension next offseason. In addition, starters like Drue Tranquill and Nasir Adderley are scheduled to hit free agency following the season. LA is currently $13.7 million over the cap for 2023, according to OverTheCap, so there’s not much room to fit another considerable contract.

That’s especially true at linebacker, a position Staley has historically deemphasized. The Rams didn’t have a star name at inside linebacker when Staley was their defensive coordinator. Besides Murray, drafted before Staley’s arrival, the earliest draft pick on the roster is Tranquill, a fourth-rounder. Van Noy was a second-rounder back in 2014 but was also signed as a post-draft free agent after being cut in March. 2021 standout Kyzir White was allowed to walk in free agency despite a 100 tackle season. It’s simply a position the Chargers don’t place a premium on.

So yes, it would be exciting if Tom Telesco brokered a deal for Roquan Smith. He’d add a well-rounded game well beyond the capabilities of anyone on the roster and elevate an already good defense on paper to an elite one. But I doubt the Chargers will be willing to pay the price, both capital, and cash, to acquire such a player. But if I’m wrong, Smith could be the final piece for an elite Chargers defense.