Contract extension talks expected to 'heat up' between Bears and key defender
CHICAGO – There are a lot of questions surrounding the Bears as they head into the 2022 season. One of those questions is whether or not Chicago and stud linebacker Roquan Smith will work out a long-term deal. Smith is currently entering the fifth year of his rookie contract and is set to make $9,735,000 […]
CHICAGO – There are a lot of questions surrounding the Bears as they head into the 2022 season. One of those questions is whether or not Chicago and stud linebacker Roquan Smith will work out a long-term deal.
Smith is currently entering the fifth year of his rookie contract and is set to make $9,735,000 in 2022, but those who pay attention to the Bears and Smith know the plan is to keep him around for the long-term. It's not a matter of "if" the Bears sign Smith to a multi-year deal, it's a matter of "when".
Well, that whole process should should get underway, soon. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler contract extension talks are expected to "heat up" this summer. He wrote as much in a recent column for ESPN.com:
Expect talks between the Bears and Smith to heat up some time this summer. Even other Bears players close to free agency believe Smith is the priority for Chicago and new GM Ryan Poles. Smith has worked his way into top-10 linebacker status thanks to versatility and production. He has compiled 14 sacks, 17 pass deflections and five interceptions on his way to back-to-back second-team All-Pro nods.
With the top of the linebacker market approaching $20 million annually, Smith should push that number. He doesn't have an agent and will essentially negotiate on his own behalf, but he showed up to offseason workouts as a sign of good faith.
$20 million is quite the investment in an off-ball linebacker. Smith is certainly a top-3 inside linebacker in the NFL, but is he worth more than All-Pro Darius Leonard, who is currently the highest-paid ILB at $19.7 million per year?
That's something the Bears are going to have decide in the future and these talks will certainly start to chisel away at the eventual extension. Or, the new deal, if Smith is signed before 2022's end.
If Smith does end up with a final figure of $20 million per year, then it will more than explain why the Bears traded away Khalil Mack's bloated contract and were very limited in free agency outside of the attempt to sign Larry Ogunjobi to a big contract.
And, at the end of the day, the decision should pay off. In more ways than one.
You can check out Fowler's entire column, here.
Featured image via Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
