Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith has publicly requested a trade, and this has apparently led to a very strange situation developing within the NFL.
An individual claiming to represent Smith has begun calling teams to gauge potential trade interest, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. While it is unclear if Smith is aware of the development, Florio’s report implies that it is happening with the linebacker’s knowledge.
Smith acts as his own agent, so whoever is claiming to represent him is not NFLPA-certified. The Bears have not actually given Smith or anyone in his camp permission to seek a trade, so Smith would essentially be baiting teams into a possible tampering violation if they were to engage with this alleged representative. No team is going to want to be attached to that allegation, particularly with how it has been in the news lately.
Whatever is happening here certainly sounds incredibly bizarre.
Smith, a two-time All-Pro selection, made his public trade demand on Tuesday. The Bears have not given any indication that they are going to act on it anytime soon. Assuming this report is true, it could certainly complicate Smith’s demand and cause further issues between him and the Bears.
