Brian Urlacher advocating for Roquan Smith to be paid!
It was well-documented a few weeks ago that Bears superstar LB Roquan Smith held out of training camp and preseason due to ongoing contract negotiations.
But, Smith ended his hold-in on Aug. 20 and returned to practice after publicly demanding a trade 11 days prior. Poles stated on Aug. 9 that his intentions were to keep Smith in the fold and do "everything we can to get this done."
When it became clear that both sides would not come to an agreement, Smith opted to end negotiations and play out the final year of his rookie contract, where he is set to make $9.7 million.
Poles praised Smith for the way he handled his return.
"I think Roquan, he said it perfectly -- we've shifted gears and it's all ball now," Poles said. "So really doesn't make sense to go back and go through all that. He doesn't get enough credit for being able to change gears like that and going out and just playing football and doing it the right way. I'm proud of him for handling it that way. And he's out there and we're better because of that."
On Friday, former Bears legendary LB Brian Urlacher shares his thoughts on the situation.
I know this sounds obvious but when this is coming from one of the greatest linebackers this game has ever seen, the magnitude is pretty big. If anyone knows what it takes to be a great linebacker, it clearly Urlacher.
