Poles Couldn't Find Common Ground With Smith
The prevailing reason Poles sent the fifth-year linebacker the NFL's leading tackler in 2022, a team captain, and one of the Bears' best players to the Baltimore Ravens, is because they couldn't find common ground in extension talks.
Poles and Smith talked numbers early in week one and then Poles took the first stretch of the season to see if the ends justified the means. A.K.A can we justify paying him what he wants?
Smith made a trade request back in August, albeit without an agent. Poles was honest when asked about his reasoning.
«The reality of it is that you have to ask yourself a question: Are we ever going to find that middle ground?» Poles said. «And from our previous conversations you gather that information, and it felt like it was highly unlikely.
«So then are you able to take the opportunity to enhance your roster now? Or are you OK with the chance that he walks away and we can't use some of that to enhance our roster? And that's what it came down to, and I felt like we had to move forward at that time.»
While Poles is bummed about the situation it gave the Bears more room to grow.
«Absolutely,» Poles said. «At the end of the day, I'm the decision maker and a leader and you have to step up and make those decisions.»
«It's important to me, the transparency and being able to communicate with those guys to understand it's not fantasy football where we're just plugging names and moving them around,» Poles said. «It's deeper than that.»
