The Chicago Bears traded a linebacker to the Baltimore Ravens

The Chicago Bears are trading linebacker Raquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens for second- and fifth-round draft picks, a source confirmed Monday.

The trade was Bears general manager Ryan Pose’s second major trade in six days. He traded for defenseman Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles on Wednesday.

Smith, 25, was selected No. 8 overall in the 2018 draft by former Bears general manager Ryan Pace. He has 607 tackles, 47 tackles for loss, 16 1/2 sacks, 20 quarterback hits, 20 passes defensed and seven interceptions in 4 1/2 seasons with the Bears.

The move to trade Smith comes after he caused a delay during the assembly amid stalled contract negotiations. Smith made a public request for a trade, saying in a statement that the team did not value him and refused to negotiate in good faith.

In an impromptu press conference on Aug. 9, the Poles responded by saying they believed the Bears made Smith a fair offer and they were still going to sign the linebacker.

But Poles and Smith eventually came to an agreement that he would play this season for the Bears without a new contract. He leads the league with 83 tackles and also has four tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, 2½ sacks and two interceptions in eight games.

The Poles had the option to use the franchise tag on Smith next season, but he apparently felt the draft capital made more sense as he builds for the future. The Bears added three picks in the 2023 draft after the Poles took Quinn in the fourth round.

Smith and Quinn were two of the team’s four captains this season, along with quarterback Justin Fields and left guard Cody Whitehair. Smith often gave pregame speeches in his post-warmup talk. Coach Matt Eberfluss said Eddie Jackson has been named to replace captain Quinn.

Smith’s trade came after the Bears gave up 442 yards — including 200 on the ground — in Sunday’s 49-29 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

After that, Smith was strong in his assessment of the defense.

“They had a good game plan and that’s about it, but defense, we can never let somebody score that many points on us,” Smith said. “It’s embarrassing. That’s why we have to look at ourselves in the mirror.”

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