Report: Bears star Roquan Smith decides to play out final year of contract

In what is one of the bigger surprises of the offseason, Bears star linebacker Roquan Smith returned to practice on Saturday for the Chicago Bears. He’s been through a highly emotional and highly publicized contract stalemate with the franchise, but that situation appears to be resolved. He now plans to play out his contract, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

“This is the last year of my deal and I’m going to bet on myself as I’ve always done,” Smith said on Saturday via ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It should be noted that the former Georgia star did not land the new deal he wanted.

The Bears announced they activated Smith from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list Wednesday afternoon. Chicago gave him the designation July 27, nearly two weeks before he went public with his trade request. Despite being on the PUP list, Smith was the No. 1 linebacker on Chicago’s first unofficial depth chart ahead of Saturday’s preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The former Georgia star is playing on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract after an impressive first four years in Chicago, including back-to-back second team All-Pro selections in 2020 and 2021. As he negotiated his new deal, Smith was holding in, meaning he checked into the facilities for training camp but didn’t participate. That’s all changed with Saturday’s developments.

More on Roquan Smith’s trade request

In a statement to Rapoport Tuesday morning, Smith opened up about his decision to go public with his trade request.

“To the city of Chicago and all the Bears Fans worldwide,” Smith wrote. “I have officially requested a trade; just writing these words is deeply painful. … Unfortunately, the new front office regime doesn’t value me here. 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.”

Chicago moved on from former general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy after the 2021 season and brought in first-time GM Ryan Poles from the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bears went 6-11 last year before making the sweeping changes.

On3’s Nick Schultz also contributed to this article.