Will Roquan Smith Now Become Hold-Out?

The Bears have removed Roquan Smith from the physically unable to perform list and his social media pages went gone away.

The Roquan Smith contract situations took another predicable twist in the wrong direction on Wednesday after Bears practice.

The Bears removed Smith from the physically unable to perform list, which means his "hold-in" is no longer being sanctioned by the team.  It could mean Smith might be going to a hold-out status or that the Bears are planning to fine him for missed practices. He is under contract but seeking a contract extension beyond 2022.

The Bears don't have to fine him, but if he isn't at practice and is healthy, then they're setting a bad precedent for future possible hold-outs if they don't fine him. In his case, it could be about $40,000 a day.

Smith was not spotted at practice on Wednesday, a day after he attended the Family Fest practice. He had been at every practice so far and coach Matt Eberflus has said he had been attending meetings. 

Meanwhile Smith's Twitter and Instagram accounts were taken down, which could indicate about anything. When Allen Robinson had contract talk problems with the Bears, he took down all references to the team on his socail media.

Sitting out the Roquan Smith trade request and contract extension talks seems to be the course of action for most teammates. It's not that the entire thing meets with a yawn from teammates because many could be in similar situations at some point, but there's nothing much players can do when it comes down to teammates' showdowns with the front office.

Lot of people over reacting to Roquan coming off PUP. Bears could not keep him on that list W/O a legit injury otherwise they get in trouble with League. We’ll see shortly

— Greg Gabriel (@ggabefootball) August 10, 2022

"Honestly, I don't pay any attention to it, too much," Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney said. "I can only do what I can do, and help the team as much as I can, but that I can't really do as much一do anything at all, really."

The fact this is GM Ryan Poles' first contract situation and that Smith doesn't have an agent makes for a volatile mix, and emotions get involved. The best thing agents do is remove emotion from the equation in talks, beyond knowing how to overcome negotiating sticking points.

The trade request Smith made didn't bother Mooney, just like the inability of the Bears to come to terms with Smith doesn't.

"But you see that all the time with players trying to put the heat on the organization just trying to get a deal done," Mooney said. "It's nothing that I can do or anything, so I'm just looking from far away."

It's not that far away though, when Mooney will be up for an extension. It happens next season. Players watch to see how Poles handles this and also how they treat David Montgomery, who is out of contract after this year.

Ro: The bears haven’t negotiated with me in good faith

Bears: hold my beer

— Matt Carstensen (@BearsNerd) August 10, 2022

"Long story short, it's a business," defensive end Robert Quinn said. "One side doesn't want to pay. It's a game but it's a business. You don't get a lot of opportunities to sign new contracts."

Quinn has been around long enough to see plenty of standoffs similar.

"I mean, I know when I was with the Rams, A.D., Aaron (Donald) did it," Quinn said. "It can't be a distraction, but it all got figured out and he got what he deserved, and got what he deserved again.

"It's an opportunity to take care of your family and all that good stuff, so you don't want to sell yourself short because not a lot of people get to sign new contracts, and if you're one of the best at your position you want to make sure you sign a well-worth-compensated contract. But, again, I'm not GM. I'm not Roquan. I'm not the owner. I've got my two cents and I'm sure no one cares about them anyway."

The added factor in this negotiation is Smith is the team's best player. If the Poles doesn't do everything possible to get him signed, what does it mean for everyone else who expects to remain with the organization?

"I mean, he's one of the best players in the NFL," new Bears tackle Riley Reiff said. "I've played against him how many years now and just what he brings, the leader, the type of guy he is in the locker room. We want him here."

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