Roquan Daevon Smith, a linebacker with the National Football League’s Chicago Bears, was born on April 8, 1997. (NFL). At Georgia, he played collegiate football. First Georgia Bulldog to receive the Butkus Award was Smith.
Early Life
Smith played football for the Bulldogs at Macon County High School in Montezuma, Georgia. [2] He originally agreed to play collegiate football for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), but later switched to the University of Georgia.
Career
Smith participated in collegiate football at the University of Georgia while being coached by Mark Richt and Kirby Smart. Smith participated in 12 games as a true freshman at Georgia in 2015, making 20 tackles.[5] As a sophomore in 2016, he started 10 of 13 games, with 95 tackles.[6][7]
Smith became the first Georgia Bulldog to earn the Butkus Award in 2017. He was also selected the Associated Press’s SEC Defensive Player of the Year and the MVP of the SEC Championship Game. Smith made the decision to join the 2018 NFL Draft rather than use his last year of eligibility.
Chicago Bears
Contract disputes between the Bears and Smith’s representation CAA Football over language in his rookie contract regarding whether his guaranteed money would be reclaimed by the team if he was suspended due to the NFL’s new rule prohibiting contact leading with the helmet caused a significant delay in the signing of his contract. The Bears preferred for decisions to be made by the league, while CAA fought for phrasing that would safeguard Smith’s guaranteed wages. This conflict was made worse by skepticism about the rule and the frequency of tackles in Smith’s position. [12] On August 14, Smith and the Bears agreed to a fully guaranteed four-year, $18.47 million contract, which also included a $11.51 million signing bonus. [13] He was the final first-round selection in his draft group.
Personal Life
Nearly two weeks after being selected in the draft, on May 8, 2018, it was reported that Smith’s car had been broken into in Athens, Georgia. A team-issued iPad as well as several of Smith’s personal items, such as his college shirts, helmet, and awards, had been taken. However, the stolen goods were found the following day.
