Everything about the Roquan Smith contract dispute isn't normal. He entered the extension talks without an agent, which is already rare. Then he pushed matters further by formally requesting a trade through the media. It was a decision that caught the Chicago Bears off guard. GM Ryan Poles admitted that negotiations had been cordial up to that point. Then to top it all off, a "representative" named Saint Omni has reportedly called around to NFL teams about potential trades, which is against league rules since he isn't a certified agent. Smith continues to make this situation way more complicated than it needs to be. Now he's missed three weeks of training camp, and there is no end in sight. Fans are left wondering how long this will last. Based on what insider Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network is hearing, it's best not to get hopes up. Both seem dug in, and Smith's camp is prepared to string this out into the season itself if he must.
Smith, who has formally requested a trade, wants to become the highest-paid linebacker in the NFL and exceed Indianapolis Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard’s five-year, $99.2 million contract signed last year that includes $52.5 million guaranteed. Smith isn’t practicing, in a classic “hold-in,” that has become the trend in NFL contract disputes. He was recently activated by the team. Whether the gap can be bridged is hard to say, but it’s not looking good at the moment. One league source predicted this dispute will go all the way up to and likely into the season.
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Roquan Smith doesn't help his case by sitting out.

He isn't the first to try a tactic like this. Le'Veon Bell did the same thing with the Pittsburgh Steelers a few years ago. He held out for an entire season and finally became a free agent but didn't get the massive contract he wanted. He got a nice deal from the New York Giants, played poorly, and was never the same. Smith's stock is high right now. It doesn't figure to go up by not playing this year. Teams will be even less reluctant to pay him the record-breaking deal he wants in 2023 than they are right now. That doesn't even include the fact Chicago could string things out even further with the franchise tag. Roquan Smith is hoping for one of two things. Either he gets the contract number he wants, which the Bears don't want to pay. Or he wants to get traded to a team that will pay him that number. The Bears aren't likely to do that either since teams don't pay premium draft picks for off-the-ball linebackers these days.
Put simply? Smith is stuck.
The Bears aren't going to trade him, and they don't want to pay his desired number. So unless he comes willing to negotiate soon, he will start missing actual games this year. That will take even more money out of his pocket.