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Person Claiming to Rep Roquan Smith Is Making Calls to Gauge Trade Market

SGKing

Chicago Bears inside linebacker Roquan Smith (58) walks off the field after an NFL football game, Monday, November 8, 2021 in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Durisko)

Someone isn’t playing by the rules.

A person who claims to represent Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith is reportedly putting out feelers to other NFL teams to gauge interest in a potential trade. However Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported today the unnamed individual isn’t certified by the NFL Players Association as an agent, and such contact would nonetheless be barred.

Smith hasn’t been granted permission by the Bears to speak with rival front offices about a trade, which makes this all the more troubling.

Via PFT:

“Per a league source, a person purporting to represent Smith has been calling other teams in order to gauge potential trade interest.

It’s a problem for two reasons. First, the person isn’t an NFLPA-certified agent. He can’t represent Smith or any other player. Second, Smith has not received permission to seek a trade.

Basically, the person is setting up a potential tampering trap for any team that either engages in conversations regarding Smith or fails to promptly notify the Bears of the impermissible contact.”

The 2018 first-round pick released a statement to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network on Tuesday in coordination with the trade request, saying the organization has “refused to negotiate in good faith”:

Roquan is in the final year of his rookie contract, and is trying to  get something done before the season starts.

The Bears  defensive star is scheduled to earn a $9.7 million base salary as part of a fifth-year option picked up by the Bears in May 2021.

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