Bears Pro Bowler Backs Roquan Smith Amid Drama With Team

Roquan Smith

Getty Inside linebacker Roquan Smith has the support of teammate Robert Quinn.

Robert Quinn led the Chicago Bears in sacks last year with 18.5 in 16 games, which also set a new franchise record.

The 32-year-old pass rusher has 101.0 sacks over his 11-year career, and he’s coming off one of his best seasons ever, finishing with 17 tackles-for-loss, 22 QB hits and four forced fumbles. Quinn has played alongside linebacker Roquan Smith over the last two years, and the two have developed a mutual respect for one another as leaders of Chicago’s defense.

Smith recently requested the Bears trade him after negotiations for a new contract did not go as he’d hoped, and the LB has not been participating in team practices. When Quinn was asked about Smith’s current standoff with the team, he supported the linebacker’s desire to get paid.

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Quinn: Smith ‘Deserves’ to Get Paid

When he was asked whether he wanted to see a resolution between the Bears and Smith soon, Quinn answered in the affirmative. “I would love to have him in this building, but it’s a business, and I’m not his agent or him, so that’s out of my control,” he said.

The veteran has been in the league for over a decade, so he understands both the business and player-related aspects of these types of negotiations.

“It’s an opportunity to take care of your family and all that good stuff, so you don’t want to sell yourself short because not a lot of people get to sign new contracts, and if you’re one of the best at your position, you want to make sure you sign a well-worth-compensated contract,” Quinn added, before revealing he thinks Smith deserves to re-set the market at the position, which is what the young LB wants.

“You don’t get a lot of opportunities to sign new contracts,” Quinn noted. “I’m sure he wants to get as much as possible. Respectfully, I think he deserves it too. But, I mean, it’s a business. One side doesn’t want to pay him and he wants to get paid.”

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As Smith continues to sit out, Quinn and his teammates know they still have a job to do.

“We’re still out there practicing, regardless,” said Quinn. “We don’t know what’s going to happen, but we still have to prepare ourselves to get ready to play football for the upcoming season. … But, again, I’m not GM. I’m not Roquan. I’m not the owner. I’ve got my two cents and I’m sure no one cares about them anyway.”

His teammates might care — and that’s not nothing. Make no mistake: Bears players — particularly those who may be thinking about inking extensions in the coming years, like Jaylon Johnson and Darnell Mooney — are watching the situation with Smith closely.

“It’s nothing that I can do or anything,” Mooney said when asked about Smith’s situation. “So I’m just looking from far away.” You can bet every other player on the team is, too.

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