The Bears’ ongoing contract negotiations with Roquan Smith seem to be escalating with weirder developments by the day.
In late July, Chicago placed the star linebacker on the PUP list to help him avoid fines while he “holds in” for a new deal. That appeasement didn’t seem to work. When Smith didn’t appreciate the Bears’ latest offer, he publicly requested a trade through NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. (Which, beyond the new offer details, can you blame Smith for wanting to leave?)
Now, as Smith sits just about two weeks without camp practice, a new report from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio states that the linebacker is using an unknown person to call around the league and gauge potential interest in a trade.
This development would be fine if the Bears had granted Smith’s request to seek a trade. They haven’t indicated that they will do so thus far. It adds more complications to an already confusing mess.
More from Pro Football Talk:
It’s a problem for two reasons. First, the person isn’t an NFLPA-certified agent. He can’t represent Smith or any other player. Second, Smith has not received permission to seek a trade.
Basically, the person is setting up a potential tampering trap for any team that either engages in conversations regarding Smith or fails to promptly notify the Bears of the impermissible contact.
The penalties for Smith — an individual player — in initiating any potential tampering are unclear. Nonetheless, this is not typical as Smith doesn’t have an agent. He’s been representing himself in all negotiations, and if this latest report is accurate, he may also have pushed the unknown representative to call around on his own.
Who knows what the next step will be between Smith and the Bears. But this tense situation in Chicago might not have a clean resolution any time soon.
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