Here’s where Roquan Smith ranks among NFL’s top linebackers

Roquan Smith might be the best pure football player on the Chicago Bears roster. He’s certainly the most gifted defender, and aside from quarterback Justin Fields, he may be the most valuable player on the team.

Smith, who’s entering the final year of his rookie contract, should be a priority for general manager Ryan Poles to re-sign. At just 25 years old, Smith is already considered one of the top linebackers in the NFL.

According to a recent list compiled by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Smith ranks fifth among the 10 best linebackers in the league.

“Best overall LB in football in my opinion,” an NFL coordinator told Fowler. “Others might be slightly better in one of the four facets of the game — run game, pass coverage, blitzer, leadership — but that kid is top four in every category.”

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Roquan Smith could become NFL’s highest-paid linebacker

Smith finished the 2021 season with a career-high 163 tackles. He earned second-team All-Pro honors for his efforts. It was the second All-Pro season in a row for Smith, but he has yet to earn a Pro Bowl bid.

“If he was in somewhere like Dallas, he’d be celebrated as maybe the best,” a Pro-Bowler told Fowler. “He doesn’t get the credit he probably deserves.”

The Pro Bowl would be nice, but a massive second contract is better. Roquan Smith’s next deal will challenge for the position’s richest, which is currently held by Indianapolis Colts star, Darius Leonard. Leonard’s contract pays him an average of $19.7 million per season.

“It’s personal at the end of the day,” Smith said of his contract this offseason. “All that business is more so my business upstairs. I’m confident we’ll get everything taken care of. My main focus is out on the field and doing what I have to do and bond better with my boys.’