Chicago Bears: Team Takes Smith Off PUP List

The Chicago Bears-Roquan Smith saga continues as the team activated the linebacker off of the PUP list. That means he faces a daily fine if he misses training camp.

Well, the drama between the Chicago Bears and linebacker Roquan Smith continues. After Smith went public with a trade demand, accusing general manager Ryan Poles and his front office of not negotiating in good faith, Poles went out and reiterated how much he wanted to sign Smith.

Poles was not done, however. Now it seems he is playing hardball with Smith. He activated Smith from the PUP (physically unable to perform) list. That means since he is under contract, he faces a fine for every practice he misses from here on out. The Bears can choose to fine him between $40,000 to $50,000 per day.

It seems there is a one-upmanship going on. Smith took the first shot and Poles took it and took a shot himself.

This situation could get worse before it gets better. Smith mentioned that the situation was already irreparable. He said that the biggest hope for a successful resolution would be to have Chicago Bears Chairman of the Board George McCaskey to step in. That’s how little confidence he has in Poles.

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How does Smith react?

So after Poles made his move activating Smith, how did he react? Well, we know that now. As of this writing, he arrived at camp and went to the trainer’s room.

After a few minutes there, he emerged wearing his jersey, cap, and shorts. Despite showing up, it looks as if he still isn’t practicing.

Now we have a game of chicken played between Smith and Poles. We know that Smith is ready for the long haul. He missed the entire training camp in his rookie season in 2018 over contract language. The question now is whether he wants to continue playing these games with the team.

What is causing the problem?

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport recently went on 670 the score to say that Smith asked for a contract bigger than the AAV of $19.7 that the Indianapolis Colts’ Shaquille Leonard makes.

In response, Poles said that he had record-breaking parts into the contract. However, a great deal of the money is back-loaded with “fake money,” meaning he likely never sees that money.

There are many who don’t think Smith deserves to make more than Leonard. The problem is that timing is important. Many of the top players actually don’t make the #1 money when others become free agents afterward. Leonard certainly set the market. Smith now wants to build on that.

Does Smith have some leverage?

Through all of this, we have to see who has an advantage. The Bears are dangerously thin at linebacker. Behind Smith, Matt Adams, and Nicholas Morrow, there isn’t much. Between Joe Thomas, Jack Sanborn, Caleb Johnson, Javin White, and Noah Dawkins they have 126 career games, with 16 starts. Of those, Thomas has 89 total games and all 16 starts.

Without Smith in the fold, the linebackers unit could be in shambles. During minicamps and OTAs, the coaches raved about how Morrow and Smith looked together. They both are speedy, athletic linebackers. With Morrow in the middle and Smith at the weakside, things are completely different.

We’ll see how this situation develops. In the meantime, let’s hope there is a successful resolution that is a win-win for both Smith and the Chicago Bears.