BALTIMORE – After spending most of 2022 trying to get a new contract from the Bears, Roquan Smith has gotten one from the Ravens at the beginning of 2023.
As the linebacker hoped, a major raise is on the way.
Per numerous reports, the first from Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Smith has agreed to a five-year, $100 million deal with the Ravens. Of that salary, $45 million is fully guaranteed with $60 million in total guarantees, per the report.
Smith nor the Ravens have confirmed the new contract.
This summer, Smith was unable to come to a new contract agreement with the Bears and new general manager Ryan Poles as he was entering his fifth season with the team. The linebacker chose to “hold in” for training camp, participating in meetings but not taking part in practices, in order to get a new deal.
But Smith eventually returned to practice on August 20 to get ready for the season and play out the remainder of his rookie contract. He would play in eight games for the Bears, collecting a team-high 83 tackles with four for loss and 2 1/2 sacks to go with two interceptions in that time.
Just before the November 1 trade deadline, still without a long-term contract signed, the Bears traded Smith to the Ravens for a second and fifth round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Since arriving with the playoffs-bound Ravens, Smith has continued to play at a high level, making 86 tackles, including seven for loss, two sacks, and an interception in nine games. The linebacker will take part in the second postseason game of his career on Sunday night as Baltimore travels to Cincinnati to face the Bengals in an AFC Wild Card game.
Smith played in the Bears’ Wild Card game against the Eagles in January 2019 but missed their Wild Card game against the Saints in New Orleans due to an injury in January 2021.
A 2018 first round pick by the Bears, Smith led the Bears in tackles during his four full seasons with the team, making 524 stops with 47 for loss and 16 1/2 sacks in 69 games in Chicago with seven interceptions.