Roquan Smith Next Up But Not for a While

The five-year, $99.25 million contract signed by linebacker Darius Leonard of the Colts almost two weeks ago definitely caught Roquan Smith's eye.

So did the $95.225 million contract San Francisco gave to linebacker Fred Warner before camp started.

They should, because Smith is the next guy up among the really talented inside linebackers who are due contract extensions. He hasn't yet attained the league-wide recognition Warner and Leonard have in terms of Pro Bowls, and he still has two seasons to complete on his current deal.

"I'm happy for anybody," Smith said when asked about Leonard. "Him, Warner, all those guys. The contracts they're getting, they've earned them.

"Take my hat off to those guys and happy for them and their families."

It's good because it sets a bar for Smith.

"That's what they call it," he said.

It's a very general sort of bar.

Because he could go through this season and into the offseason before the Bears really need to get him an extension, and the pandemic's effect on NFL financial books will presumably lessen to a great extent by 2023, Smith could be looking at something well above of what both Leonard and Warner are getting.

That is, if he continues playing like he did last season prior to an elbow injury that took him out of the playoffs.

That injury deprived Smith of the chance to show the entire league what he can do. Apparently his level of play isn't realized elsewhere when Warner and Bobby Wagner get on the NFC Pro Bowl team despite seasons generally inferior statistically.

Essentially, Smith is on the rise.

It would be surprising for the Bears to nip this one in the bud and get Smith an extension now before the season for a few reasons.

One is they have only $3.6 million left under the cap after the Jason Peters signing, according to Spotrac.com.

The other is Smith doesn't have an agent.

Asked how he negotiates an extension without one, he said, "I haven't gotten there. We'll get there when I get there."

Would he represent himself, or just do it through an attorney?

"I'll get there when I get there," he said.

Smith formerly had representation with the Creative Artists Agency with Todd France, Ben Renzin and Brian Ayrault. They came to the forefront when Smith was a rookie because they represented him when he held out for almost all of training camp and preseason in 2018 over language in the contract that might have allowed the Bears to reclaim some of Smith's guaranteed money if he drew a suspension for an illegal hit using his helmet.

It's been a while since this parting of ways occurred. Reports of it came out early last season.

So apparently Smith is in no rush to push for that extension or maybe he is taking the self-negotiation route.

Either way, at this point Smith has time on his side as long as he can stay healthy. He hasn't done this the last two years. He suffered a torn pec in an early December, 2019 win over Dallas and then last year missed most of the regular-season finale with Green Bay as well as the entire playoff loss at New Orleans.

This could be part of the reason he simply hasn't received the recognition he deserves when he had more tackles (139), solo tackles (98), sacks (4) and far more tackles for loss (18) than Warner, Leonard or Bobby Wagner last season. All of them made the Pro Bowl teams and Smith didn't.

Smith also had more interceptions than Wagner and Leonard with two total, while Warner also had two. Wagner had one more pass deflection (8) than Smith.

Earlier in camp, coach Matt Nagy compared him with former Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly in terms of ability to range in coverage.

"Yeah, I'm not so sure he’s not too far away from that, the way he studies," Nagy said. "The anticipation that he uses, you've seen him the last couple of years on some of these screens, when he's just flying through there, blowing the running back up before he gets the ball."

Smith rejoined practices Wednesday after 12 days away with a groin injury. The Bears will hope to keep him rolling at 100% for the regular season.

He thinks the defense, at full health, can reach a level unattained the last two years.

"I would just say, man, we're playing with passion out there," Smith said. "Guys are going out like we have nothing to lose. Going out, doing what we need to do to get the job done and just finding ways to get better each and every day and holding each other accountable and just pushing each other to the limits. And I think when you do that, something special can happen."

For Smith individually, it can mean something really special happening on the field and also on a contract.

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