If the Chicago Bears were looking for a negotiating trick that would save face for them and their first-round rookie, they came up with a doozy.
The Bears are in a contract dispute with No. 8 overall pick Roquan Smith, a linebacker out of Georgia who has missed almost two weeks of training camp because he and the team haven't agreed to contract terms. A team in this situation finds itself in a bind: wanting the player in camp but not wanting to do or say anything publicly that makes the player a villain in the eyes of the fans before he even plays a game for them.