Roquan Smith's Baltimore Ravens career is going better than even he could have hoped. Baltimore acquired Smith in a trade from the Chicago Bears in 2022. Smith was originally drafted No. 8 overall by Chicago, but the pairing didn't work out. The Georgia product requested a trade that summer and the rest is history.
Since then, Smith has fit in very well with the Ravens front seven, so much so that Baltimore signed him to a five-year contract extension. When Smith reflects back on his time in Chicago now, he is grateful he found a way out.
"Man, it's pretty crazy thinking back to when I was initially traded," Smith told Albert Breer. "It was bittersweet for me, just knowing Chicago and rightfully so. But if I would've stayed there, honestly, [I] wouldn't have been able to compete for a title anytime soon. And then when I came over here, it took me a while, like a couple of weeks, to really realize how stacked this team was, as well as how many good people there are on this team, and how they just bring in truly good people."
The Roquan Smith trade worked out perfectly for the Ravens
In his chat with Breer, Smith revealed what he really feels about the Chicago organization. While the Bears have changed hands a few times over in the last five years at head coach and general manager, the point remains the same -- this is a place where talent is wasted. Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles hope to change that narrative, but they're off to a rocky start.
"And when I just think about it from the perspective of having the opportunity to compete for one year in and year out with the talent we have. Man, it makes me so happy, just knowing my career is not going down the drain, in the sense of playing somewhere where I'm not truly competing for a title," Smith continued.
Smith's career is anything but down the drain, and he's thriving in Baltimore.
