Roquan Smith Keeps Focus on Fun

The next deadline in the Roquan Smith negotiation with the Bears for a contract extension is 3 p.m. March 7, 2023.

That's when the Bears must have decided when to apply a franchise tag to their veteran linebacker and defensive leader.

None of that is a concern to Smith now, and neither is the possibility he'll get another offer from the Bears sometime this season.

"I'm not focused on that, if I'm being completely honest," Smith said. "My focus is on making this year the best year I can and then go from there. I don’t want to look forward too much to the future or anything like that.

"I'm just focused on having the best year I can with my teammates and going out and playing the game I love. That's what means the most to me."

Smith had already said when he announced negotiations were done in earlier August. The idea of a possible Bears attempt to restart talks this year were not really addressed then.

Asked how difficult it is to push the situation to the back of his mind, Smith joked: "It's already in the back of my mind. It just came to the front when you just mentioned it."

Smith sees his love of the game dwarfing any lingering angst over the lack of an exxtension

"I never let anything get in the way of the bigger picture," Smith said. "I understand I'll never let anyone or anything take the fun away from me. Been doing it since I was a kid, having fun since a kid, so nothing is going to stop that."

Part of that fun will be playing in the new system, the Tampa-2 style, in which he is more in space and has chances to make plays than when he was in the 3-4.

"I flourish in any defense," he said. "It don't matter. Just line me up and tell me a play, and I'm there."

Turning more analytical, Smith admitted the scheme does work to free him up to attack the ball.

"It's definitely sweet," he said. "It allows you to play in space more and I feel like that's one of my biggest attributes, playing in space, vision.

"Didn't get to do a lot of that in the past, but being able to do that now, I think it's going to be good and I think it's going to pay dividends for me."

The other thing that can free up Smith is a middle linebacker with speed. That's what the Bears feel they have in Nicholas Morrow, possibly the most non-descript Bears player.

"People may not (know him) right now, but they will soon," Smith said. "We stay healthy man, I think the sky's the limit for both of us.

"The guy's a really smart player, busts his ass day-in and day-out, says all the right things, do all the right things, and it's an honor to be able to play next to him. I think we're both gonna make each other better. He covers my tail on certain things, and I get him on certain things. Man, it's sweet. Then, playing with another fast guy. Two fast ILBs."

It could all be the type of situation to make contract talks even more fruitful for Smith when and if the Bears bring it up again.

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