The Bears have picked up the fifth-year option on linebacker Roquan Smith, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported on Tuesday. The move will see Smith make $9.735 million in 2022 and place him under team control for an additional year.
This move was widely expected, considering Smith’s stellar performance in the 2020 season. With his break-out season and a relatively cheap price tag for his level of play, picking up his fifth-year option means that he won’t enter free agency until the 2023 offseason.
Smith, 24, broke out with a career year in 2020 that saw him named as a second-team All-Pro for the first time since entering the NFL.