Report: Chicago Bears’ Roquan Smith trade request update with demands

Chicago Bears Roquan Smith requested a trade earlier today, what are his demands?

Chicago Bears Roquan Smith requested a trade earlier today, but now he is making more demands from the Bears as he asked the Bears for more money than the Colt’s Shaquille Leonard according to Ian Rapoport on 670 The Score. 

.@RapSheet tells us that Roquan Smith is asking for more money than Darius Leonard. He points out that the most recent great player to sign often does re-set the market.

Fwiw, Leonard has 17 forced fumbles in 4 years and Roquan has 1.

— Danny Parkins (@DannyParkins) August 9, 2022

According to NBC Sports, Leonard signed a deal back in August to remain with the Colts that was worth $98.5 million. This deal makes him the highest-paid linebacker in the NFL. Following Smith’s extension, he wants to be the highest-paid linebacker and “one-up” Leonard with a deal that exceeds his $19 million per year value.

Smith, who is considered to be among one of the top linebackers, was selected by the Bears being the eighth pick in the first round of the 2018 draft out of Georgia, he has been named the second-team All-pro for the past two seasons. In his 2020 season, he finished second in the NFL with 96 solo tackles and 18 tackles-for-loss, the most by a Bears linebacker since Brain Urlacher, the hall of fame middle linebacker, who came in at 19 tackles-for-loss in 2002. Smith currently does not have an agent and is negotiating on his own behalf.

General manager Ryan Poles expresses his desire in wanting to keep Roquan Smith on the team stating,

“Right now, my intentions are to make sure Roquan is on this team.”

However, it seems as if Smith does not receive the five-year $100 million extension deal that he is wanting that he will continue with his intent to be traded.