Star linebacker Roquan Smith requesting a trade probably isn’t the storyline the Bears were hoping would take center stage during Family Fest at Soldier Field.
And yet, here we are with the Bears’ best and most established player in the middle 🎶of what is now a very public contract dispute.
Sm🐻ith’s use of NFL Network insider Ian Rapop🐟rt as a vehicle to spark stalled extension talks led GM Ryan Poles to address the matter publicly after Tuesday’s practice at Soldier Field. Here’s what the first-year general manager said (as transcribed by CHGO’s Adam Hoge):
Well, at least Poles is saying the right things when it comes to Roquan S🎉mith’s situation:
Sure, Poles expressed disappointment that this has gone public, but that’s the nature of the beast at this point. And for Poles the beast is at his doorstep, giving him his first large challenge of this type. It’ll be fascinating to follow this situation to see who blinks first. Poles, you’ll note, did not rule out a trade, even if that’s not the public preference at the moment.
Poles had more to say, which you 🌳can watch for n🅘ow, and we’ll dissect it more soon:
