It's been just over a year since the Chicago Bears traded star linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens. Between that blockbuster deal and now, it's safe to say that Smith is thrilled with how things have played not. Not only did the 26-year-old ultimately ink a five-year, $100 million extension with Baltimore to make him the highest-paid linebacker in the NFL, but he is also now in the thick of the Super Bowl conversation.
The Ravens sit atop the AFC North standings at 7-2 and are vying for the No. 1 seed in the conference with many folks identifying them as the best team in the NFL. That's a far cry from where Smith was with Chicago, which continues to struggle at 2-7 on the year and last in the NFC North. Smith has only made the playoffs twice in his career and both times lost in the wild card round. Outside of that, his teams mostly were under .500.
"Man, it's pretty crazy thinking back to when I was initially traded," Smith told Sports Illustrated. "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.
"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."
Baltimore has a history of having star linebackers anchoring their defense and Smith seems to be the latest to take on the mantle.
"That's something I really pride myself on and just coming here," Smith says. "We live it every single day. And it's from top to bottom. And I just couldn't be more excited just to be a part of a great organization that I am."
With Smith in the mix, Baltimore's defense has been sensational this season. The unit ranks first in points allowed (13.8), yards per play (4.1) and yards per attempt (5.5) and is second in total yards per game allowed.
