Did the Bears actually win the Roquan Smith trade with Ravens?

During his first year on the job, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles proved he was unafraid to shake up the team and remake it according to his standards. His first big move was the trade of Khalil Mack to the Chargers, and he followed that up with two in-season trades, sending Robert Quinn, who had just set the Bears' single-season sack record, to the Eagles and Roquan Smith to the Ravens.

That last trade proved controversial as Smith's addition to the Ravens seemed to spark their defense and made them the top unit in the league overnight while the Bears went on to finish the year with an NFL-worst 3-14 record. Many fans and analysts ridiculed the Bears and Ryan Poles for getting 'fleeced' in that deal. But did they really get taken advantage of?

First, let's revisit the terms of the deal. The Ravens got Smith and had to sign him to a five-year, $100 million contract extension that offseason. As for Chicago, they picked up linebacker A.J. Klein (the team waived him less than a month later) in addition to second and fifth-round picks in the 2023 NFL draft, which became defensive tackle Gervon Dexter and linebacker Noah Sewell, respectively.

Ravens received:	Bears received:
LB Roquan Smith	LB A.J. Klein (waived)
5-year, $100 million contract	2023 2nd-round pick (DT Gervon Dexter)
	2023 5th-round pick (LB Noah Sewell)

Both teams made a smart move to achieve their ends

At first blush, this seems like a win-win deal. The Ravens, who were and are still in win-now mode, acquired a big upgrade at linebacker and spent the next two-and-a-half seasons in Super Bowl contention. The Bears were at the very start of a full teardown-rebuild project and acquired significant draft capital as well as more salary cap space.

However, was it truly a win for the Ravens? They've been excellent since that trade but have advanced no further than the AFC Championship, and they only got that far once. I seriously doubt the Ravens are satisfied falling that far short of a Super Bowl title. Now they're at 1-5 and in serious danger of their season already being over. Smith, who has already appeared to slow down a bit, will enter next season at 29-years-old. How much longer will he be worth his massive contract?

Returning to the Bears, Ryan Poles made great use of those two draft picks. Gervon Dexter is looking like a key fixture of the defensive line while Noah Sewell was putting together the first productive season of his career under new defensive coordinator before suffering a concussion in Week 6; he was inactive for Week 7.

The 2025 season will determine who won the Roquan Smith trade

Ultimately, it's hard to declare either team a loser in this trade because both sides got what they needed: the Ravens added talent while the Bears armed themselves for their rebuild. If the Ravens fail to win a Super Bowl in the near future, it could be said they lost this trade, but even that's a stretch.

As for the Bears, it all comes down to their second half of the 2025 season. If they continue their winning ways and earn themselves a playoff berth, fans can say that the rebuild is complete and that patience with Ryan Poles' and his questionable moves has paid off. But that's looking too far ahead. For now, the team must focus on earning a victory over the Ravens on Sunday.

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