This Roquan Smith trade situation has potential to get real ugly, real quick

The bulk of this week has centered around Roquan Smith and his public trade request out of the Chicago Bears organization.

Now, this team has their first live game action under Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus in just two days. But, the organization is dealing with quite the distraction on their hands — and it might be self-inflicted on Poles’ part, too.

Originally reported as a deal that included de-escalators — which would be the first contract signed by a non-QB, at a $15 million or more average salary, to have said verbiage in writing.

The contract would also not make Smith’s deal the new standard for linebackers, which many recent contracts have done at other positions. Smith has performed at an All Pro level, and feels as though he deserves to get a bigger deal not only for himself, but his peers, too. This is a contract that could impact future players at the position.

Now, the Bears have removed Smith from the PUP list.

The contract standoff between Roquan Smith and Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles could end up going even further downhill.

First of all, by removing Smith from the PUP list, the Bears can now officially discipline him for missing practice. This includes some hefty fines.

Second, there is the potential for this situation to get out of control and, if the Bears end up trading Smith, that will send quite the ugly message to the rest of future NFL free agents.

If players take the side of Smith, and if he is ultimately traded, that might not bode well for the image of Ryan Poles and company. It very well could rub future free agents the wrong way. Now, we don’t know the ins and outs of the situation, so this is all mere speculation. But, if the details of the proposed contract were to leak out to fellow players via Smith, then it could be tough sledding for Poles in future free agency periods.

Just how much does Poles value players that aren’t “his guys?”

We’re not talking about only future free agents, here. We’re talking about other current Bears players — guys who will see their contract come to an end also; guys who were drafted by another regime.

This situation could take a toll on the current team’s morale. Seeing a leader, and one of the best linebackers in football, be treated the way he’s accusing Poles of treating him, isn’t exactly a stunning vote of confidence.

If I was a player not drafted or hand-picked in free agency by Poles this year, I may be wondering what my future holds.

This includes guys like David Montgomery, Darnell Mooney and Justin Fields. This includes Cole Kmet, Jaylon Johnson and Trevis Gipson.

Once again, I must add that this is all up in the air. This is all an unknown to many of us who aren’t inside those negotiations and those who haven’t seen the verbiage in Smith’s proposed contract.

In the end, this could be yet another example of a player attempting to manipulate an extension happening in their favor. After all, guys like Deebo Samuel and DK Metcalf experienced a tough offseason that saw their fair share of trade rumors, and they got paid.

Smith is just attempting to get what he feels he deserves, and with the salary cap continually going up, why shouldn’t he feel like he should set the bar?

If this thing ends up with Smith being traded, then the Bears’ first year into their official rebuild might just set them back even further.