Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles facing first test amid Roquan Smith trade request

Throughout the entire offseason as Chicago Bears first-year general manager Ryan Poles was clearing the roster of aging with hefty contracts such as wide receiver Allen Robinson, defensive end Khalil Mack, and defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, the expectation was that Poles would eventually reach an agreement on a contract extension with linebacker Roquan Smith.

The Bears are now three weeks into training camp and open the preseason on Saturday but negotiations between the Bears and Smith appear to be going in the wrong direction.

Smith, who was placed on the physically unable to perform list at the beginning of camp, is believed to be holding in with the hope of landing a new contract. There has been no update on Smith from the Bears since the start of training but the linebacker revealed shocking news on Tuesday morning.

In an exchange with Ian Rappoport of the NFL Network, Smith revealed that he has requested a trade from the Bears.

Ryan Poles, welcome to life in the NFL as a general manager.

Not only is this season the first season for Poles as the general manager of the Bears, but this is the first season in which he has held the general manager title with any NFL team. Smith is representing himself in contract negotiations and it would appear that Poles has botched the initial round of negotiations.

First. everyone take a step away from the ledge.

A funny thing happens when things like this occur to the Bears. Bears fans think that the Bears are the only team in which things such as contract holdouts/trade requests happen, and as such, think it is an indictment of the organization and their front office.

Roquan Smith’s trade request is nothing more than a negotiation tactic but does create the first test for new Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles.

This is the way of business in the current structure of the NFL. Players “hold-in” during training camp with the hope of signing a new contract. If a new contract is not reached in a timely fashion, the player then requests a trade as a way to call the bluff of the organization. Usually, the next step is a new contract reached between the player and the team.

Sure, the public sentiment is that Smith is “winning” the negotiations between him and the Bears but the events follow a blueprint that has already been laid across the NFL. The test for Poles will be does he follow the blueprint and cave to the demands of Smith or does he answer Smith calling the Bears’ bluff by calling the linebacker’s bluff and actually completes a trade?

The ball is now in Poles’ court and his decisions will have a direct impact on the long-term future of the team.