Former Chicago Bears defensive star Roquan Smith alleges that the team’s general manager, Ryan Poles, made some major promises to him that he reneged on when he traded him to the Baltimore Ravens in November.
Roquan Smith was one of the most notable talents moved at this year’s trade deadline. While the 25-year-old hasn’t earned Pro Bowl honors yet during his five seasons in the NFL, there is no doubt he is one of the best young linebackers in the league.
Since being selected with the 8th pick overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, Smith has wracked 100 more tackles every year and peaked with an outstanding 163 tackles (95 solos) in 2021. Which broke the organization’s storied single-season record.
The Georgia standout seemed like a player the team could build around as an anchor of their defense for the next decade. Smith claims that new Bears GM Ryan Poles told him as much in the offseason and made some major long-term promises to the young star. And then reneged on it all when he shipped him off to the Ravens in November.
During a Wednesday conversation with Dan Pompei of The Athletic, Roquan Smith revealed that he thought there was a good chance he could get traded in 2022. Since it was the final year of his rookie contract and he and the team hadn’t come close on an extension. However, the linebacker alleges that Poles met with him soon after his hiring in January, and claimed he wanted to build the...
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