Roquan Smith

Roquan Daevon Smith is an American football inside linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Georgia. Smith became the first Georgia Bulldog to win the Butkus Award.

Roquan Smith’s Early Life and Background

Smith played football for the Bulldogs at Macon County High School in Montezuma, Georgia. He originally committed to UCLA but changed his commitment to the University of Georgia. While at Georgia, Smith played 12 games and recorded 20 tackles as a freshman, before improving dramatically in 2016, starting 10 of 13 games, and recording 95 tackles. In 2017, Smith was named the MVP of the SEC Championship Game as well as the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He also became the first Bulldog to win the Butkus Award.

Who Drafted Roquan Smith?

Roquan decided to forgo his final year of eligibility and entered the 2018 NFL Draft. After a phenomenal college career, Smith was drafted by the Chicago Bears as the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. His contract signing was significantly delayed due to contract disputes between the Bears and Smith's agency CAA Football over language in his rookie contract stating whether his guaranteed money would be reclaimed by the team if he was suspended due to the NFL's new rule outlawing contact leading with the helmet. CAA argued for wording that would protect Smith's guaranteed earnings, while the Bears preferred for decisions to be determined by the league, a situation that was exacerbated by skepticism surrounding the rule and the frequency of tackling in Smith's role before eventually signing a contract on August 14th.

Roquan Smith’s NFL Journey

Smith was drafted by the Chicago Bears as the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. In his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers on NBC Sunday Night Football, Smith recorded a sack on the Packers' quarterback DeShone Kizer on his first career snap. he led the team in tackles for the 9th and 10th weeks. Smith finished the season playing in all 16 games and making 14 stars and recording 121 tackles, five sacks, five passes defended, and one interception. He received an overall grade of 67.4 from Pro Football Focus in 2018, which ranked him as the 39th highest grade among all qualifying linebackers. He earned a place in the PFWA All-Rookie team.

On October 31, 2022, Roquan Smith was traded to the Baltimore Ravens.

Roquan Smith teams

Chicago Bears (2018-2022)

On August 14, the Bears signed Smith to a fully guaranteed four-year, $18.47 million contract that included a signing bonus of $11.51 million. Smith finished his rookie season with 121 tackles, five sacks, five passes defended, and one interception, and was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate. Smith missed a chunk of the 2019 season due to a torn pectoral.

In Week 10 of the 2020 season, Smith recorded a team-high 14 tackles and a sack. In Week 16, Smith recorded two interceptions, becoming the first Bears player with multiple interceptions in a game since Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. He was selected to the first-team All-Pro by the Sporting News and to the Associated Press’s second-team All-Pro. On April 27, 2021, the Bears exercised the fifth-year option on Smith's contract which guaranteed a salary of $9.7 million. On November 21, Smith recorded a career-high 17 tackles, which was the most tackles by a Bears player since Brian Urlacher. Smith finished the season with the fifth most sacks in the NFL at 163. He was named to NFL.com’s All-Pro team and the AP’s second-team All-Pro.

Baltimore Raves (2022 - Present)

In early August 2022, Smith announced that while he tried to negotiate a contract extension during the offseason, he had requested the Bears trade him as he felt unvalued by the new front office regime. He reported for training camp but refused to practice. On August 20, Smith ended his hold out from practices and stated he would no longer continue negotiating with the Bears' front office for the remainder of the 2022 season and was traded on October 31, 2022, to the Baltimore Ravens for A.J. Klein, a 2023 second-round pick, and a 2023 fifth-round pick. In his two years with the Ravens (as of August 2024), he has recorded 3.5 sacks and 11 pass defelections.

Roquan Smith Awards and Honours