Bears Rumors: Roquan Smith Contract Talks Expected to 'Heat Up' This Summer

As Roquan Smith enters the final year of his contract, the Chicago Bears are reportedly making his long-term future a priority.

According to Jeremy Fowler, the team and Smith are going to have a heated discussion this summer with other Bears who are about to be free agents under the impression that the linebacker is the priority for new general manager Ryan Poles.

Smith would be a focus for a new front office trying to build a consistent winner.

He is 25 years old and has earned back-to-back second-team All-Pro nods. The No. 8 overall pick in the draft had 163 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three sacks, three passes defended and a touchdown return during his career.

Smith has appeared in at least 12 games in each of his four seasons in the league. He played in 12 games in 2019.

He seems to be on his way to becoming the next great Bears linebacker in a long history that includes Mike Singletary, Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Dick Butkus.

The Georgia product has been a steady force and bright spot for a franchise that has trended in the wrong direction since it went 12-4 in his first season. The last time the Bears finished over.500 was in 2004, when they finished at.500.

Smith is already a proven commodity who will remain in his prime for the foreseeable future, even though there are some young building blocks in place for Poles.

He is the type of player the new front office can build around, and it seems it is doing what it can to keep him.