3:43pm: The Bears will follow the Quinn formula with Smith’s contract. They will eat $4.8MM of the remaining $5.4MM on Smith’s deal, Schefter tweets. The Ravens’ cap situation made the Bears taking on some salary mandatory, but Chicago’s willingness to pay almost all of the money undoubtedly boosted the compensation value. Baltimore only owes Smith $575K the rest of the way.
2:29pm: Days after trading Robert Quinn to the Eagles, the Bears are making another seller move. They are sending contract-year linebacker Roquan Smith to the Ravens, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
Smith staged a hold-in effort during training camp but returned to the team and has played well. But the Bears had stripped away most of their front-seven pieces this offseason. Quinn’s departure followed, and Smith will complete a full-on overhaul. This move also comes not long after after a report indicated the Bears would likely hang onto Smith through the deadline. The Ravens stepped up since, and the Bears will collect an interesting haul for the Ryan Pace-era draftee.
The Ravens are sending second- and fifth-round picks for Smith, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Both picks are in 2023, Schefter tweets. Chicago will receive the higher of Baltimore’s 2023 fifths, Albert Breer of SI.com notes (on Twitter). The Ravens have their own 2023 fifth and the Patriots’. The Bears will also acquire veteran linebacker A.J. Klein in the swap, Rapoport adds (via Twitter). Klein signed with the Ravens earlier this offseason. The former Saints and Bills starter stands to provide a stopgap veteran presence for the Bears, who have dealt away considerable experience on defense this year.
This represents a nice return for a linebacker that would have been difficult for the Bears to cuff via the franchise tag. Because on- and off-ball linebackers are grouped together under the tag formula, Smith would require and edge rusher-level tag sum. The team will move on, and it has now added two second-rounders, along with fourth-, fifth- and sixth-round picks in deals involving Smith, Quinn and Khalil Mack this year.
The Smith move differs from the Quinn decision, as the former is a player squarely in his prime. The Ravens will acquire a fifth-year starter who is only in his age-25 season. Smith’s 30 tackles for loss between the 2020 and ’21 seasons ranked behind only T.J. Watt. This season, Smith leads the NFL with 83 tackles. During a brief run in Matt Eberflus‘ defense, the Georgia product has added 2.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus rates Smith behind Patrick Queen, Josh Bynes and Malik Harrison for 2022, but Baltimore’s trade certainly points to the organization not putting much stock in that placement. It will bet on the former No. 8 overall pick.
Smith is playing on a $9.74MM fifth-year option. The Bears ate most of Quinn’s salary to up the price tag from the Eagles; it will be interesting to see if the rebuilding team is doing the same with Smith. Otherwise, the Ravens will be responsible for more than $5MM of Smith’s Year 5 salary. Baltimore entered Monday with less than $3MM in cap space, so a salary arrangement — or a Ravens cap adjustment — will be necessary for the team to acquire Smith.
The Ravens have Queen signed through 2023, with a fifth-year option on the table to keep him on his rookie deal through 2024. Will Queen be playing alongside a big-ticket Smith extension next year? The Ravens making this move now would suggest they are prepared to extend Smith.
Baltimore made Bobby Wagner a competitive offer this year, signaling a willingness to pay up at the position, and attempted to keep C.J. Mosley from defecting to the Jets in 2019, but a record-smashing contract nixed those hopes. The Ravens have not spent big at this position in the years since, with Queen being their top 2020s investment at the position. Smith could change that, having been seeking a deal that eclipses Shaquille Leonard‘s $19.7MM-per-year contract. Seeing the Ravens go to such a place would be interesting, but the other Raven currently on a fifth-year option complicates their Smith path.
Lamar Jackson‘s status also makes Smith an interesting Ravens trade piece. Unless the Ravens and their superstar quarterback agree to terms on an extension before the March franchise tag deadline, the former MVP will be tagged. That takes a key option away from the team re: Smith, who is scheduled to hit free agency when the 2023 tampering period opens. Like Jackson, Smith does not have an agent.
For now, however, the Ravens are giving first-year defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald a major piece to upgrade a defense that ranks 24th in yards allowed and 20th in scoring. Smith will return to a 3-4 defense in Baltimore, after playing in 3-4 schemes for Vic Fangio, Chuck Pagano and Sean Desai. It will be interesting to see how the three-down linebacker looks with the Ravens, who will lead the AFC North regardless of the Bengals’ result Monday night.
The Bears drafted starting safety Jaquan Brisker with the second-round pick obtained for Mack, who joined Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman and Danny Trevathan in being replaced by a new Bears regime this offseason. The Bears entered Week 8 coming off an upset blowout of the Patriots, but they were routed in Dallas on Sunday. GM Ryan Poles has not let early-season wins over the Patriots and 49ers cloud a long-term plan, and he will have more to work with in the 2023 draft because of this seller’s approach.
2nd and a 5th
fair compensation but this sucks.
maybe montgomery is next since he’s in a contract year and lots of teams need RBs
It would be smart to move Montgomery for the best offer unless a compensation pick is more valuable. Bears can evaluate Herbert with a full workload that way, plus I don’t see Poles paying a RB.
The Bears have $100 mil in cap space. They better not get a comp pick.
I see the Bears bringing back Montgomery. They have a ton of money. They like their 2 RB approach. And the FA RB class is so deep that Montgomery likely won’t be paid what you think he’s worth.
Their running back combo is great and is not costing much now. Next year they’ll have a decision to make on Montgomery but for now, why break up the only thing that’s consistently working?
because they’re tanking for higher draft picks
No big loss.
I like that the Bears are blowing it all up when it’s clear they’re years away. I’m hoping the Steelers do the same.
If you’re going to rebuild IMO, You need to be making 10 or more picks for at least 3 years. That gives you 30 guys out of 53 that are cost effective. Poles turned 6 into 11 last year and now has at least 9 next year and I’m sure he’ll add more in 2024. Got rid of all the Pace bad money and set themselves up to be big players in the future. I bet no FA agent doesn’t at least drop a dime to Poles to see what money he’s willing to spend. Poles is doing outstanding work IMO. Thumbs up.
What are you talking about outstanding work? All he’s done is trade away and tear down a team. That doesn’t take a genius level GM. The hard part is building a legit contender. Get real.
You contradict yourself here a bit. Yeah, the hard part is building a contender, agreed, but it’s hard to do that with a roster of guys who underperform or just don’t want to be there. Might as well blow it up and build around your QB with young studs
Pretty solid return… Poles must know more details about what Smith is gonna want and it’s probably a franchise level contract that he must not think Smith’s worth. He has a lot of tackles this season but many are 5-10 yards downfield, not behind the line where the Von Millers, Parsons, Leonard’s live. I wonder if yesterday’s miserable showing had something to do with it.
Question now is can the Ravens keep both Lamar and Roquan in 2023?
Seems unlikely the Ravens pay up to keep him after this year, but even if they don’t, 1) With any improved health/development in their defensive line, that can be a nasty defense, and 2) They love accumulating compensation picks, and trading a 2nd and a 5th for a rental is easier to stomach when you’ll get a 3rd back.
And good for the Bears to add good draft capital. Always stinks to lose one of your best players, but if a guy isn’t going to be around for your next competitive team, might as well cash him in for guys who could be.
Horrendous trade for the Bears, a late 2nd and a 5th round pick is the best you could get for a top 15 linebacker in his prime? They can accumulate all the money and picks they want but getting someone of Roquans ability is unlikely in FA and the draft is a crapshoot. I could see this trade backfiring in much of the same way trading Greg Olsen did.
Seeing that Roquan will be a FA next year, they can still sign him. I mean, the actual chances of that are slim to none.
I believe the Ravens can franchise him if necessary, no?
They should be able to franchise him but he will probably pout and be a nuisance.
So is there a world where Roquan becomes a free agent and signs with the bears?
Yeah. Opposite World.
What about tagging Lamar? Can only use 1 tag.
In a perfect world, the Ravens would like to avoid tagging Lamar.
How does anything you say make sense?
The Bears were not getting a 1st round pick fir Smith. He walks at years end and Bears get a late 3rd Comp pick. Getting a 2 and a 5 is as good as they were getting or they would have waited until the 4pm deadline tomorrow.
Ravens get tackling machine..Bears accumulate picks, insure that they will lose more games for high draft seed and if they want resign RoQuan in 2023 since they’ll have the most $$ available.
Have fun with the “tackling machine.”
I’m for rebuilding but this really hurts.
I’m a Ravens fan, but the Bears have long been the NFC I follow and support. I don’t really like the direction the Bears have taken from A.Hicks leaving, trading K.Mack, then Quinn and now R.Smith they’re tearing down the one good thing they had and failed miserably to build and OLine for J.Fields.
On the Ravens end I like the trade 2nd & 5th isn’t terribly bad, it’s a win now move because without a Lamar and Peters extension there’s no cap to even entertain Roquan extension next year. If he leaves a comp pick is guaranteed. Queen has been better but I wish they could have tossed him in the trade to keep the 2nd rounder. Then used the 2nd rounder to get DJ Moore.
Bills added Diggs and Josh Allen skyrocketed. Eagles added AJ Brown and look at Hurts this year. Man if Lamar had a WR like that to complement M.Andrews
It’s actually a really good haul for a half of season of Smith. Remember Chicago offered him a VERY lucrative extension that he turned down(as his own agent BTW) Adding a 2nd and a 5th gives Chicago 9 draft picks in 2023 and well over 100 million in cap space (well over any other team in the league) So, this rebuild can happen pretty quick,
That said, Baltimore got one helluva back. Not sure if they can extend him AND keep Lamar, but this year will be fun in Baltimore.
If Ravens can’t sign Lamar long term they will tag him and trade him. ThT will leave them plenty of money either way to sign Smith if he plays well for them.
Gives the Bears 9 picks at least for next year and a ton of money they save. The Bears will be able to sign 3 FA LB’s from the money they save on Smith alone. 2 2nds, 2 4th’s and 2 5th’s. next year plus whatever Poles can add on draft day. If Whitehair wasn’t hurt he’d be gone now but maybe in the off season. Montgomery should be leaving also as he’s been passed by, By Herbert. Ebner and Evans can get the job done also I think. Well done.
Is there a chance Ravens can’t sign him or franchise him? It seems like they are cap strapped.
If he becomes a free agent, what would stop him from signing back with the bears?
Nothing
The Bears offered him a long term deal, he has no interest in resigning with Da Bears.
Reiff and Montgomery should be following soon I would think. Not much value there but enough somebody will want them as OL are dropping like flies all over. Seems like everyone is willing to trade a RB and Montgomery is probably the cheapest option out there.
Not the smartest trade ever. Do the Ravens think this is still the mid 90’s when they could win with strong D and running game?! Bcs it’s not. They may make the playoffs but will do nothing there. If I’m Lamar, this is just yet another reason to fight my way out of town. They REALLY don’t want him to succeed. Crazy.
The amount of comp picks the Ravens usually end up with in the draft makes the 5th rounder negligible, they’ll add another pick when some team pilfers from their coaching or executive tree.
Say someone nabs Greg Roman as HC.
With Calais Campbell and Marcus Peters coming off the books this off-season, they should be able to fit Roquan Smith and stay under the cap. Good trade.
There’s going to be a run on Cairo Santos jerseys because he’s probably the best player the Bears have now.
He is an all pro, dumb move.
He has never been an all pro. Not one time
link to cbssports.com
Smith has never been an All Pro. That’s a fact.
Oh you mean he was one of the 40 or so guys that get named to the team when all the All Pros decide to skip the game? So What. Being a replacement doesn’t mean you were All Pro. Just means you’re a scab.
He’s never been named a starter. Second team all pro.
bears just got finessed by the ravens