Pros & Cons of Broncos' Trading for Disgruntled Bears LB Roquan Smith
In his 18 months as general manager of the Denver Broncos, George Paton has proven to be a prolific deal-maker. If coffee is for closers, Paton's office must be stacked to the ceiling with Folgers.
Perhaps that salesman's scrutiny, and silver tongue, could turn toward the escalating situation between linebacker Roquan Smith and the Chicago Bears. This week, the two-time All-Pro linebacker released a statement, publicly requesting a trade out of Chicago.
"The new front office regime doesn't value me here," Smith wrote in part. "They've refused to negotiate in good faith, every step of this journey has been 'take it or leave it'. The deal sent to me is one that would be bad for myself, and for the entire LB market if I signed it. I've been trying to get something done that's fair since April, but their focus has been on trying to take advantage of me.
"I wanted to be a Bear for my entire career, help this team bring a (Super Bowl) back to our city. However, they have left me no choice than to request a trade that allows me to play for an organization that truly values what I bring to the table.
"I haven't had the chance to talk to the McCaskey family, and maybe they can salvage this, but as of right now I don't see a path back to the organization I truly love."
Why Paton Should Call
The Broncos' inside linebacker corps is still viewed as the team's weakest link by many analysts across the NFL. Paton re-signed Josey Jewell, who makes for a solid, if unspectacular, starter.
Behind Jewell, though, it's a who's-who list of unproven commodities. The best of the bunch is Jonas Griffith, who, while showing some serious chops toward the end of last season, is the epitome of unproven (four career starts).
Then there are the likes of the free-agent journeyman Denver signed, Alex Singleton, and Justin Strnad, the latter of whom was unequal to his opportunity when thrust into a starting role last season after Jewell suffered a torn pectoral muscle. The Broncos are lacking bonafide, proven talent at inside linebacker, especially in the wake of Baron Browning's position switch, but that doesn't mean a player like Griffith couldn't emerge as a solution in 2022.
Why Paton Shouldn't Call
Smith is concerned with getting top dollar and protecting the "linebacker market" but the Broncos aren't exactly flush with salary-cap space. Sure, there's a little room — call it Paton's 'Evan Mathis fund' — but perhaps not enough to satisfy Smith's contractual demands while keeping some wiggle room in the event of roster calamity.
The Broncos have $11.5 million in salary cap space right now, and while any NFL front office worth its salt can conjure some cap voodoo, I'm not sure this team has room to negotiate at the level Smith is looking for. The highest-paid linebackers in the NFL right now command nearly $20M/year.
Now, a Smith contract could pay him upwards of that, ostensibly, but the Broncos would have to defer much of the cap impact on future seasons, in order to fit him under the cap in 2022, which could handicap Paton's ability to get quarterback Russell Wilson sewn up on a long-term deal.
Bottom Line
Smith has always been an overrated linebacker. Outside of his rookie year in 2018 under Vic Fangio, I haven't seen the type of production from Smith that would warrant top-of-the-market money. He's earned a second-team All-Pro nod in each of the past two seasons but is yet to garner a Pro Bowl selection.
That means his peers across the NFL — coaches and players — don't view Smith on the same level as the journalists who vote on the All-Pro teams each year do. The Pro Bowl has become more of a popularity contest in recent years but it still can reflect how a player is viewed by peers across the league.
Smith's valuation of himself is greater than Chicago's and perhaps we'll learn, it's greater than how the rest of the league views him, too. If Smith were the last remaining piece to put the Broncos over the top, I'd pound the table for him.
But I don't see it, especially at the price he's asking for. And that's not counting whatever compensation Chicago would be looking for from any prospective trade partner.
As a former top-10 draft pick with a little name cache, the Bears would want a serious offer featuring a premium draft pick. After dealing away multiple first and second-rounders to acquire Wilson, Paton probably lacks the ammunition to compete for Smith on the trade market anyway.
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