The Chicago Bears' front office has made a major mistake and now they look silly
There's some major drama surrounding the Chicago Bears as of Tuesday morning. Star linebacker Roquan Smith has officially requested a trade from the Bears. He made the trade request public via a scathing statement that took a shot at the front office. Smith, who is looking for a contract extension, alluded to bad negotiations with […]
There's some major drama surrounding the Chicago Bears as of Tuesday morning.
Star linebacker Roquan Smith has officially requested a trade from the Bears.
He made the trade request public via a scathing statement that took a shot at the front office.
Smith, who is looking for a contract extension, alluded to bad negotiations with Chicago's new front office.
"Unfortunately, the new front office regime doesn't value me here," wrote Smith. "They've refused to negotiate in good faith, everything step of this journey has been 'take it or leave it'. The deal sent to me is one that would be for myself, and the entire LB market if I signed it."
According to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport, the contract offered to Smith was heavily backloaded.
This is obviously an extremely bad look from the Bears' front office.
I know the team is currently going through a massive rebuild, but Smith is a player that needs to be in a Bears uniform for years to come. He's a key player for Chicago and a player that his teammates have pointed to as a major leader for the Bears.
If Bears fans quickly lose faith in general manager Ryan Poles because of this situation, I would completely understand it.
A rebuild for the Bears right now makes sense. But not at the expense of a cornerstone player. The fact Smith wanted to stick around despite the rebuild was all Poles needed to see. That alone should've motivated him to get a deal done with the talented linebacker.
If this is how Poles is going to operate — cheap and without regard for players — then the Bears are doomed until the next general manager is hired.
Maybe this is just the ugly side of negotiations that don't always become public. But for now, it certainly feels like Poles made a massive mistake in the way he approached these negotiations. If he is forced to trade Smith, it will be an undeniable sign that Poles is in over his head.
Featured image via David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
