“That was all my agent.” “That was my agent.” “That was between my agent and Mr.Pace”

[remydat]

“We were dealing with some very sensitive issues that were important to me, but in the end, I’m glad we got it done.”

Or, if you think a 21-year-old is unable to form such thoughts:

“Yes, I was involved in the process.”

Or

“Yes, I was in contact with my agent throughout the process.”

Or, for the minimalist:

“Yes, it was important.”

Or, heck:

“Yes.”

1. What sensitive issues and why did it take so long?

2. How involved were you in the process?

3. How much contact?

4. How important?

5. But how involved?

What you are suggesting would just open up a myriad of questions that would just bog down what is suppose to be a day to discuss his signing. Once signed all the other shit is irrelevant.

As his agent, I would fully advise him to respond as he did. Further you will note the Bears didn't have Pace there to answer questions about the negotiations. You are naive if you think they did that unintentionally. No one wanted the focus of today to be about what were the sticking points in the negotiation. Today was about the signing.

 

[remydat]

As I said, it does not worry me in terms of him being a good football player.

But I would like to see him mature over the next 4 years.... when his next contract negotiation happens he would do well to be a bit more involved.

The Bears did not make Pace available for comment, but they released a statement from him.

“We’re looking forward to Roquan joining our team and getting him prepared for the 2018 season,” he said in the statement.

I would hope Pace matures over the next 4 years and he makes himself available to answer questions to the press about what took so long.

Again, it is obvious that this was a dog and pony show for which no one was prepared to discuss the contentious issues. I think it was a mature response from Smith as he understands nothing good will come from rehashing the negotiations.

 

[Hawkeye OG]

As I said, it does not worry me in terms of him being a good football player.

But I would like to see him mature over the next 4 years.... when his next contract negotiation happens he would do well to be a bit more involved.

I get what you are saying, BUT I'm not going to expect the starting ILB for the Chicago Bears to know much about contract law. That is a very, very deep rabbit hole.

 

[Penny Traitor]

As his agent, I would fully advise him to respond as he did. Further you will note the Bears didn't have Pace there to answer questions about the negotiations. You are naive if you think they did that unintentionally. No one wanted the focus of today to be about what were the sticking points in the negotiation. Today was about the signing.

But that leaves me no other way to judge Smith than by his play on the field. My ego will not stand for this!

 

[Chicoman]

I get what you are saying, BUT I'm not going to expect the starting ILB for the Chicago Bears to know much about contract law. That is a very, very deep rabbit hole.

Still, he was an economics major. I'm sure his understanding of what was taking place was solid.

 

[xer0h0ur]

I think you should keep in mind that Roquan Smith is barely 21 and this is his first contract for his first real job.

I remember when I interviewed and handled offers for my first job out of college at 22.

I felt like I was way out of my depth, and I was, now that I look back on how things went and what I was paid.

Now I imagine an even younger man looking at his first contract in the NFL.... you would like to think he is an adult who is confident and involved in this process.

The truth is he probably felt out of his depth on the business side, and his agents probably made sure to cement him feeling that way so they could own those negotiations entirely.

I don't like the fact that he wasn't confident enough to participate in the contract discussions, but some people simply don't have confidence to handle certain aspects of life.

Ever met a person who was afraid to order something over the phone? Or call a customer service department?

Or a person who looks at any new technology and feels they can't handle it?

That doesn't mean those people are not intelligent and confident and talented in another area of life, such as football.... it just means they need to grow and mature more.

I think that's all this is for Roquan, he needs to learn and grow and mature from this experience.

I can't take a man who believes in slants seriously.

 

[Bearly]

I think the point is you would like to see a player show enough confidence and ownership of the process that he could interject and put his foot down if his agent was being unreasonable.

Roquan basically admitted he was relied 100% on his agent and was not prepared to step in regardless of what his agent was asking for.

You would prefer to hear him say he left it to his agent, but he was aware of what what going on and could have stepped in if his agent was being unreasonable or if he changed his mind and wanted to compromise.

He may have given them this deadline long ago and left the rest "between my agent and Mr. Pace." He may have given them this deadline last week and same. The deadline may have come from a discussion with his agent about starting the 1st game etc. Doesn't change the context of his statements.

 

[iueyedoc]

Expecting a 21 year old to be heavily involved in those types of negotiations is out of touch with what it was and is to be 21. I know I have two 21 year old sons. They often ask about how I negotiate car purchases, doing taxes, selecting insurance. Twenty one year olds are far from worldly. If Don'tknowquan was one of my sons, I would have probably given him a bit of advice about taking a little ownership of the situation while still allowing the agents to do their job. Once TC started I would have told him to tell them to get the best you can but get it done before I miss a preseason game.

 

[xer0h0ur]

I think the point is you would like to see a player show enough confidence and ownership of the process that he could interject and put his foot down if his agent was being unreasonable.

Roquan basically admitted he was relied 100% on his agent and was not prepared to step in regardless of what his agent was asking for.

You would prefer to hear him say he left it to his agent, but he was aware of what what going on and could have stepped in if his agent was being unreasonable or if he changed his mind and wanted to compromise.

I mean, he could have taken Urlacher's approach for instance where he told his agent you do what you gotta do but I am not missing any time. That way the agent gets what they can in that time frame and otherwise fucks off.

 

[1COBearsfan]

I think you should keep in mind that Roquan Smith is barely 21 and this is his first contract for his first real job.

I remember when I interviewed and handled offers for my first job out of college at 22.

I felt like I was way out of my depth, and I was, now that I look back on how things went and what I was paid.

Now I imagine an even younger man looking at his first contract in the NFL.... you would like to think he is an adult who is confident and involved in this process.

The truth is he probably felt out of his depth on the business side, and his agents probably made sure to cement him feeling that way so they could own those negotiations entirely.

I don't like the fact that he wasn't confident enough to participate in the contract discussions, but some people simply don't have confidence to handle certain aspects of life.

Ever met a person who was afraid to order something over the phone? Or call a customer service department?

Or a person who looks at any new technology and feels they can't handle it?

That doesn't mean those people are not intelligent and confident and talented in another area of life, such as football.... it just means they need to grow and mature more.

I think that's all this is for Roquan, he needs to learn and grow and mature from this experience.

Seeing that many zeros attached to the contract probably tripped him up too. I know I’d be affected by that

 

[remydat]

Think people are confusing him saying he didn't take part in the negotiations ie directly talking to Pace to resolve with whether he understood what was going on and whether he wanted his agent to stand firm. I presume that he told his agents what he was willing to live with and they went off and negotiated. There is no reason for him to talk to Pace directly or interject himself into the actual discussions. Nor is there any reason for him to reveal to the press the extent of the negotiations. If someone takes heat for it dragging out you always want it to be the agent so that fans don't turn on the player and frankly because it helps the agents with other players to see that they are driving things.

 

[remydat]

I mean, he could have taken Urlacher's approach for instance where he told his agent you do what you gotta do but I am not missing any time. That way the agent gets what they can in that time frame and otherwise fucks off.

That only makes sense if his priority was getting into camp rather than making sure the Bears don't try and take his money away over bullshit.

 

[Les Grossman]

Even when the holdout is over, people continue to bitch about this topic...

 

[xer0h0ur]

That only makes sense if his priority was getting into camp rather than making sure the Bears don't try and take his money away over bullshit.

Thanks captain obvious? In what other context would I possibly be saying that?

 

[BaBaBlacksheep]

Does anyone care? He's signed and we can stop talking about this bullshit now.

LOL. How naive. This will ALWAYS be attached to Roquan. If he fails.... people will blame it on the hold out. If he succeeds..... people will talk about how amazing it is that he succeeded despite missing all of camp. If he's a fucking HOFer 20 years from now reporters will talk about how his incredible career started on such a bad note. Get used to it.

 

[napo55]

Enough. He's a 21 year old football player, not a lawyer or a PR spokesman. If he got into the details of the deal, it would be a no-win situation for him. He was advised to not comment and he, wisely, followed that advice.

Now, what really matters: is he an outstanding player? We will soon find out.

 

[BaBaBlacksheep]

Enough. He's a 21 year old football player, not a lawyer or a PR spokesman. If he got into the details of the deal, it would be a no-win situation for him. He was advised to not comment and he, wisely, followed that advice.

Now, what really matters: is he an outstanding player? We will soon find out.

100% Agreed. But anyone who thinks this won't be talked about still is fooling themselves.

 

[remydat]

Thanks captain obvious? In what other context would I possibly be saying that?

The point is the comment is irrelevant. He obviously wasn't as concerned about training camp as Urlacher so I was confused why it was brought up.

 

[Sammich]

It is clear that he will never have the mental fortitude that Urlacher, Butkus or Singletary had.

 

[Xuder O'Clam]

The comp to Urlacher is so ridiculous. Urlacher signed his last contract 2 years before the new CBA was in effect. A CBA mind you, that likely contributed to his swift departure from the league. The CBA didn't just make it worse for rookies. It back fired for vets also.