Chicago Bears defensive star Roquan Smith is holding out from training camp, according to a report.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Smith will not be participating when camp opens on Tuesday. Rapoport says Smith is unhappy with his contract.
#Bears All-Pro LB Roquan Smith will not be participating in training camp when veteran report tomorrow, sources say, because of his contract situation. Smith has not yet received an offer he would remotely consider, thus he’ll wait.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 25, 2022
Smith is set to make $9.7 million this year, which is his fifth season in the league. He’s in the final season of his rookie contract before becoming a free agent.
Smith had 163 tackles and three sacks last season. The former No. 8 overall pick out of Georgia feels he has outplayed his rookie contract and is looking to get paid accordingly.
The question is whether the Bears will budge. They went 6-11 last season, and there’s not much reason to believe they’ll be significantly better in 2022. In other words, the 25-year-old linebacker does not have much leverage.
