Official: Bears sign Roquan Smith

[G08]

but to say "FUCK THIS GUY" is, in my mind, low class

Why? People yell "fuck this guy" all the time when referring to some players on their favorite teams.

Hoge and Jahns nailed it at the end of their podcast: this agency represented Leonard Floyd and other players the Bears have, why is this an issue NOW with THIS player? "Roquan Smith should not be off this hook by any means".

If he wanted to be in camp, he would be in camp. Instead, he's holding out for a RIDICULOUSLY stupid precedent. I don't care who he is, it could be my best friend in the world and I would say "fuck this guy". I'd say it right to his face and tell him how stupid I think he is being. You don't have to agree with it, but at least I'm consistent.

This isn't about Roquan, he knows it, and he's actively going to miss all of Training Camp... with a brand new Head Coach whose season's mantra is the word: Obsession.

There's a bad look, and then there's Roquan Smith.

[BR0D1E86]

Sure, I guess. I don’t see why it’s meatball to be pissed off about this. He’s an idiot that’s letting his agents use him to make a ridiculous name for themselves.

If he wanted to be on the field, he’d demand his agents stop insisting on guarantees that nobody else expects and he’d be on the field. He apparently doesn’t.

[The Marshall Plan]

Does anybody remember Cedric Benson's holdout? I don't remember the specifics. Benson took a lot of shit for his.

[Rusty Trombagent]

He’s an idiot that’s letting his agents use him to make a ridiculous name for themselves.

what is it about him exactly that makes you question his intelligence?

fans are always so taken back by the idea of a player having any agency whatsoever.

[BR0D1E86]

He’s an idiot that’s letting his agents use him to make a ridiculous name for themselves.

what is it about him exactly that makes you question his intelligence?

fans are always so taken back by the idea of a player having any agency whatsoever.

He’s either being used by his agency to score them points with other clients or he’s making the decision to hold out for unreasonable and ridiculous non-standard contract language.

Either decision is powerfully stupid.

[Rusty Trombagent]

He’s an idiot that’s letting his agents use him to make a ridiculous name for themselves.

what is it about him exactly that makes you question his intelligence?

fans are always so taken back by the idea of a player having any agency whatsoever.

He’s either being used by his agency to score them points with other clients or he’s making the decision to hold out for unreasonable and ridiculous non-standard contract language.

Either decision is powerfully stupid.

why do you think the contract language he's holding out for is ridiculous and unreasonable?

[BR0D1E86]

He’s an idiot that’s letting his agents use him to make a ridiculous name for themselves.

what is it about him exactly that makes you question his intelligence?

fans are always so taken back by the idea of a player having any agency whatsoever.

He’s either being used by his agency to score them points with other clients or he’s making the decision to hold out for unreasonable and ridiculous non-standard contract language.

Either decision is powerfully stupid.

why do you think the contract language he's holding out for is ridiculous and unreasonable?

Why do you think it isn’t? He’s trying to change precedent. The time for that is during labor negotiations with the union, not now.

And I don’t find it even remotely unreasonable that teams withhold the right to void some of the guarantees in extreme situations. It tends to only happen for people like Aaron Hernandez.

[donkeykong]

He’s an idiot that’s letting his agents use him to make a ridiculous name for themselves.

what is it about him exactly that makes you question his intelligence?

fans are always so taken back by the idea of a player having any agency whatsoever.

He’s either being used by his agency to score them points with other clients or he’s making the decision to hold out for unreasonable and ridiculous non-standard contract language.

Either decision is powerfully stupid.

why do you think the contract language he's holding out for is ridiculous and unreasonable?

Why do you think it isn’t? The contract language he’s seeking at this point is tantamount to “I should be able to beat my girlfriend and while I’m suspended you keep paying me my guaranteed salary”.

Unless I’m completely missing something he’s seeking guarantees now that protect him from any off-field suspensions as well. That’s garbage! The Bears organization already said we’ll keep paying you if you do something while playing on the field and you get suspended. Fantastic! How can you ask for anything more? You don’t get a guarantee that you can do anything you want to whoever you want, whenever you want, however you want and we’ll just keep paying you. Thanks for playing for us Roquan, here’s $20,000,000, please don’t be a wanton criminal.

That is not reasonable to me. Why is it reasonable to you?

[Middleguard]

Does anybody remember Cedric Benson's holdout? I don't remember the specifics. Benson took a lot of shit for his.

I do, too well perhaps, because it is causing me to reflexively dislike Smith.

Benson did take a lot of shit. He was ostracized in the locker room and was tormented on the practice field. He was injured in practice and claimed it was intentional. I believed him. Urlacher was the primary culprit in the injury and the ringleader of the shit-givers.

I didn't initially dislike Benson because of his holdout. But I came to realize that he had some personality problems (clearly aggravated by his teammates) that probably played a role in his holdout. I worry now that Smith also has a personality that will prevent him from becoming a team member.

[Rusty Trombagent]

He’s an idiot that’s letting his agents use him to make a ridiculous name for themselves.

what is it about him exactly that makes you question his intelligence?

fans are always so taken back by the idea of a player having any agency whatsoever.

He’s either being used by his agency to score them points with other clients or he’s making the decision to hold out for unreasonable and ridiculous non-standard contract language.

Either decision is powerfully stupid.

why do you think the contract language he's holding out for is ridiculous and unreasonable?

Why do you think it isn’t? The contract language he’s seeking at this point is tantamount to “I should be able to beat my girlfriend and while I’m suspended you keep paying me my guaranteed salary”.

Unless I’m completely missing something he’s seeking guarantees now that protect him from any off-field suspensions as well. That’s garbage! The Bears organization already said we’ll keep paying you if you do something while playing on the field and you get suspended. Fantastic! How can you ask for anything more? You don’t get a guarantee that you can do anything you want to whoever you want, whenever you want, however you want and we’ll just keep paying you. Thanks for playing for us Roquan, here’s $20,000,000, please don’t be a wanton criminal.

That is not reasonable to me. Why is it reasonable to you?

pretty soon people are going to start saying around here that roquan is demanding his entire salary be guaranteed even if he goes on a murdering spree. Bunch of god damn bootlickers.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/fo ... story.html#" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Initially, it centered on whether the Bears could attempt to reclaim Smith’s guaranteed money if he were suspended for an illegal hit with his helmet.

At some point during training camp, though — exactly when is unclear, but it’s believed to have been near the end of July — the Bears agreed to tailor language in Smith’s contract to protect his guaranteed money from being reclaimed in that scenario.

The Bears hoped that concession would prompt Smith to sign and report to camp. But Smith’s representatives dug in further, seeking financial protection for a broader range of on-field conduct outside the parameters of a football play, such as shoving an official or getting into a fight. The Bears, on the other hand, want to limit protections of Smith’s guaranteed money to violations involving football plays.

[46Blitz]

I don't care about any specifics in the terms of the contract, just get the fuckin thing done already. For real.

[Mikefive]

He’s an idiot that’s letting his agents use him to make a ridiculous name for themselves.

what is it about him exactly that makes you question his intelligence?

fans are always so taken back by the idea of a player having any agency whatsoever.

He’s either being used by his agency to score them points with other clients or he’s making the decision to hold out for unreasonable and ridiculous non-standard contract language.

Either decision is powerfully stupid.

why do you think the contract language he's holding out for is ridiculous and unreasonable?

Why do you think it isn’t? The contract language he’s seeking at this point is tantamount to “I should be able to beat my girlfriend and while I’m suspended you keep paying me my guaranteed salary”.

Unless I’m completely missing something he’s seeking guarantees now that protect him from any off-field suspensions as well. That’s garbage! The Bears organization already said we’ll keep paying you if you do something while playing on the field and you get suspended. Fantastic! How can you ask for anything more? You don’t get a guarantee that you can do anything you want to whoever you want, whenever you want, however you want and we’ll just keep paying you. Thanks for playing for us Roquan, here’s $20,000,000, please don’t be a wanton criminal.

That is not reasonable to me. Why is it reasonable to you?

My response to this is that you're getting all pissed and judgmental based on what? Media reports, which don't even agree with each other. Initially it was reported that the hangup was about losing guarantees because of helmet to helmet stuff. Then it was reported that the Bears caved to that, but then it was about losing guarantees due to off the field stuff. During the first preseason game, the sideline reporter said it was about helmet to helmet stuff. Now the Trib says it's about fights or pushing a ref. And absolutely nobody has ever put the actual wording out there.

This is a battle between lawyers about specific legal language, which nobody outside of the parties involved has seen. It's like arguing about stuff that everybody is guessing about. Pretty tall order to pass judgement based on that in my view.

[donkeykong]

He’s an idiot that’s letting his agents use him to make a ridiculous name for themselves.

what is it about him exactly that makes you question his intelligence?

fans are always so taken back by the idea of a player having any agency whatsoever.

He’s either being used by his agency to score them points with other clients or he’s making the decision to hold out for unreasonable and ridiculous non-standard contract language.

Either decision is powerfully stupid.

why do you think the contract language he's holding out for is ridiculous and unreasonable?

Why do you think it isn’t? The contract language he’s seeking at this point is tantamount to “I should be able to beat my girlfriend and while I’m suspended you keep paying me my guaranteed salary”.

Unless I’m completely missing something he’s seeking guarantees now that protect him from any off-field suspensions as well. That’s garbage! The Bears organization already said we’ll keep paying you if you do something while playing on the field and you get suspended. Fantastic! How can you ask for anything more? You don’t get a guarantee that you can do anything you want to whoever you want, whenever you want, however you want and we’ll just keep paying you. Thanks for playing for us Roquan, here’s $20,000,000, please don’t be a wanton criminal.

That is not reasonable to me. Why is it reasonable to you?

My response to this is that you're getting all pissed and judgmental based on what? Media reports, which don't even agree with each other. Initially it was reported that the hangup was about losing guarantees because of helmet to helmet stuff. Then it was reported that the Bears caved to that, but then it was about losing guarantees due to off the field stuff. During the first preseason game, the sideline reporter said it was about helmet to helmet stuff. Now the Trib says it's about fights or pushing a ref. And absolutely nobody has ever put the actual wording out there.

This is a battle between lawyers about specific legal language, which nobody outside of the parties involved has seen. It's like arguing about stuff that everybody is guessing about. Pretty tall order to pass judgement based on that in my view.

But I’m not pissed or passing judgment! The question I responded too was “why do you think the contract language he’s holding out for is ridiculous”. That was my response. I didn’t say Roquan was a POS, didn’t say he was a loser, didn’t say I hated him, didn’t say I never want to see him in a Bears uniform. My response was, and I even clarified unless I was missing something, I thought it was garbage he’s seeking protection from off-field activities. Nothing more! I even implied...I could be wrong...as in, unless I’m missing something; maybe I didn’t get the facts straight go ahead and correct me.

If the reports change, they change, but again; I never said anything negative about the man himself. However, if the report was accurate that he’s seeking off the field protection...I stand by every word of my statement.

To be quite honest I find it quite ridiculous he’s seeking protection from things like hitting a ref or opposing player if that in fact is the new disagreement. He’s not playing for the local Boys and Girls Club! He’s a professional playing in a professional league, there should be expected conduct. I doubt Brady has a “pay me if I punch a ref clause”.

Right or wrong, I just want this over! I want to see what/who we drafted as an impact player and DO NOT want to see Timu starting Sunday night week 1.

[Rusty Trombagent]

we all absolutely are dyin to see this kid play. we're bears fans, and if there's one fetish that unites us, it's incredible linebacker play.

but people need to remember, every bad implication we hear about roquan and those tasked with representing him are coming from somewhere, and that somewhere is the organization that is diametrically opposed to the players. even that article i linked above in their attempt to appear even keeled carries water for the nfl.

Still, talk to enough front-office executives over the years and consistent themes become apparent. Oftentimes, contract conflicts aren’t about that specific player at all. Instead, as previously noted, they are about an agency finding ways to recruit next year’s clients and setting precedents to create leverage on future deals. When an agency decides a big-picture principle is worth fighting for, they sometimes use their powers of persuasion to convince a player or two to stand behind them to the end. No matter what. It’s quite possible that’s at the root of this issue.

Oh, you say nfl execs have the balls to admit that they orgs they have to negotiate with are often negotiating in bad faith? that is a brave stance to take, nfl! thank you for your service!

so when you hear "roquan wants to be sure that if he beats the shit out of his girlfriend he'll still get his paychecks" you need to ask yourself, where would something like that come from?

[Umbali]

Just want this over with. No energy to be pissed about it. I am disappointed but I am also a Bears fan so Im used to disappointment :P

[Knuckles]

I'm starting to get annoyed with Smith...

If he wants to make a statement then do it when you have some NFL pull not straight out of college it makes you look like a Ben$on. I'm totally in favor of him getting what he wanted with the new helmet rule but enough is enough. The NFL is run by a bunch of assholes for the most part. I get it... I read a article (forget where) and a good point was brought up. The NFL being able to change rules in the middle of the CBA term creates a HUGE problem. What the NFL should've done in this situation is void the ability for teams to fine players $$ for the new rule until the next CBA where they can debate and install an agreed upon rule and discipline. You're going to see a lot of players next year hold out IMO after they see how the teams higher ups react to the rule this year and how many players are voided money based on the rule. The guy in the article said (and I agree again) that there's no way the 2022 season (when the CBA is up) isn't a strike year because of this particular rule change.

Smith got the main thing he wanted... Now accept your FN 15 million and get to work. Take all the knowledge from this, play the game, earn your stripes, become a advocate for players and attack the NFL in 2022. Just my 2 cents on this... It's hard to get behind a rookie in a situation like this no matter how good he was in college.

[Mikefive]

what is it about him exactly that makes you question his intelligence?

fans are always so taken back by the idea of a player having any agency whatsoever.

He’s either being used by his agency to score them points with other clients or he’s making the decision to hold out for unreasonable and ridiculous non-standard contract language.

Either decision is powerfully stupid.

why do you think the contract language he's holding out for is ridiculous and unreasonable?

Why do you think it isn’t? The contract language he’s seeking at this point is tantamount to “I should be able to beat my girlfriend and while I’m suspended you keep paying me my guaranteed salary”.

Unless I’m completely missing something he’s seeking guarantees now that protect him from any off-field suspensions as well. That’s garbage! The Bears organization already said we’ll keep paying you if you do something while playing on the field and you get suspended. Fantastic! How can you ask for anything more? You don’t get a guarantee that you can do anything you want to whoever you want, whenever you want, however you want and we’ll just keep paying you. Thanks for playing for us Roquan, here’s $20,000,000, please don’t be a wanton criminal.

That is not reasonable to me. Why is it reasonable to you?

My response to this is that you're getting all pissed and judgmental based on what? Media reports, which don't even agree with each other. Initially it was reported that the hangup was about losing guarantees because of helmet to helmet stuff. Then it was reported that the Bears caved to that, but then it was about losing guarantees due to off the field stuff. During the first preseason game, the sideline reporter said it was about helmet to helmet stuff. Now the Trib says it's about fights or pushing a ref. And absolutely nobody has ever put the actual wording out there.

This is a battle between lawyers about specific legal language, which nobody outside of the parties involved has seen. It's like arguing about stuff that everybody is guessing about. Pretty tall order to pass judgement based on that in my view.

But I’m not pissed or passing judgment! The question I responded too was “why do you think the contract language he’s holding out for is ridiculous”. That was my response. I didn’t say Roquan was a POS, didn’t say he was a loser, didn’t say I hated him, didn’t say I never want to see him in a Bears uniform. My response was, and I even clarified unless I was missing something, I thought it was garbage he’s seeking protection from off-field activities. Nothing more! I even implied...I could be wrong...as in, unless I’m missing something; maybe I didn’t get the facts straight go ahead and correct me.

If the reports change, they change, but again; I never said anything negative about the man himself. However, if the report was accurate that he’s seeking off the field protection...I stand by every word of my statement.

To be quite honest I find it quite ridiculous he’s seeking protection from things like hitting a ref or opposing player if that in fact is the new disagreement. He’s not playing for the local Boys and Girls Club! He’s a professional playing in a professional league, there should be expected conduct. I doubt Brady has a “pay me if I punch a ref clause”.

Right or wrong, I just want this over! I want to see what/who we drafted as an impact player and DO NOT want to see Timu starting Sunday night week 1.

I guess I made a mistake. I interpreted your writing as emotional and after re-reading, I now see that it wasn't the judgmental invective of my earlier perception. So sorry about that.

The discussion about the "punch a ref" clause is interesting and is one of those potentially problematic rules. It interesting that you phrase it in that way when it is against the rules to TOUCH a ref. A touch could occur in many ways that are not malevolent, but are still against the rules. As an example, it's happened before when a player is walking one way and looking elsewhere engaging in a discussion and collides with a ref. So I can see the player's agent going for protection against some misunderstanding happening like that, particularly since there are game clocks that players must abide by and must move reasonably quickly, even when a play isn't in progress.

[UOK]

@AdamSchefter
Bears and first-round pick Roquan Smith working to put finishing touches on agreement and have deal done by end of day, per source. Holdout looks to be coming to an end shortly.

[docc]

Just heard on 670..
Mr Smith comes to Chicago..

[G08]

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Thank-fucking-God.

That was getting old. Does anyone have any idea what the compromise was, or if the Bears gave in, or what?

He probably won't play this week, I'm guessing.

[southdakbearfan]

Probably pull a hamstring going to the news conference.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Probably pull a hamstring going to the news conference.

Just stop.

[UOK]

Guessing he’ll practice. Doubt he’ll play but who knows.

[UOK]

Bears are giving LB Roquan Smith a four-year, guaranteed $18 million slotted deal, per the CBA. Deal should include about $11 million in form of bonuses.

[docc]

Roquan spotted at Lambo dealership this morning...

[UOK]

From what Adam Jahns is saying, apparently the Bears caved.

[46Blitz]

Thanks god

[G08]

Super. Precedent set and I'm beginning to wonder more and more if Pace is a bit of a sucker when it comes to these negotiations.

<Insert someone jumping to conclusions by thinking I'm referring to the trade up for Trubisky>

[UOK]

Super. Precedent set and I'm beginning to wonder more and more if Pace is a bit of a sucker when it comes to these negotiations.

<Insert someone jumping to conclusions by thinking I'm referring to the trade up for Trubisky>

Do you need a hug?