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Roquan Smith Ends Contract Holdout, Will Join Bears At Halas Hall Tuesday

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (CBS) -- The rigmarole between the Chicago Bears and No. 8 overall draft pick Roquan Smith is finally over.

After a 29-day contract holdout, the rookie linebacker is finally coming to terms on a deal with the Bears, and will join the team for practice Tuesday at Halas Hall.

"We're looking forward to Roquan joining our team and getting him prepared for the 2018 season," Bears general manager Ryan Pace said in a statement Tuesday morning.

Terms of Smith's deal were not disclosed, but according to published reports he agreed to a four-year deal with $18 million in guarantees, $11 million in bonuses, and a team option for a fifth year.

Smith missed all of training camp and the first two preseason games, reportedly due to a dispute over whether the team would be allowed to take back guaranteed bonus money from him if he was suspended for disciplinary reasons. He is the last NFL draft pick this year to sign a deal with his team.

While the Bears had earlier conceded regarding language over personal foul penalties for violating new helmet-contact rules this season, the two sides had remained at odds on contract language regarding whether the Bears could take back any of Smith's guaranteed money if he were suspended for an on-field rules violation outside the confines of a play.

Smith will speak to the media Tuesday after practice, before the team departs for joint practices with the Broncos ahead of Saturday's preseason game in Denver.

It's unclear if Smith will play in the preseason game against Denver, or if the Bears will wait until a week later to give him his first preseason action against the Chiefs at Soldier Field.

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