NFC North

Star linebacker Roquan Smith announced Tuesday that he has requested a trade from the Chicago Bears.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted a statement written by Smith:

#Bears All-Pro LB Roquan Smith has requested a trade. pic.twitter.com/x4vmOMhROt

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 9, 2022

Smith called playing for the Bears a dream come true and wrote that he had wanted to be with the team for his entire career, but his perspective changed because of contract negotiations.

Smith said the Bears have "refused to negotiate in good faith" and that the organization's "focus has been on trying to take advantage of me."

The 25-year-old linebacker added that while he hasn't yet spoken to ownership about his situation and is wondering if they could "salvage" things, he doesn't "see a path back" to the Bears as of now.

Smith, who was the No. 8 pick in the 2018 NFL draft out of Georgia, is set to enter the final year of his rookie contract in 2022 after the Bears exercised the fifth-year option in his deal.

Although he hasn't received a Pro Bowl nod or first-team All-Pro selection during his NFL career, Smith has been a second-team All-Pro each of the past two seasons and has undoubtedly played at an elite level.

He has finished with 100 or more tackles in each of his four NFL campaigns, giving him 524 in 61 career games, as well as 14 sacks and five interceptions.

In 2020, Smith recorded 139 tackles, four sacks and a career-high two interceptions, and he followed that up last season with a career-high 163 tackles to go along with three sacks and one pick, which he returned for a touchdown.

Even at a young age, Smith has been the leader of the Chicago defense, and that was set to be even truer in 2022 given the significant personnel changes that have taken place.

The Bears traded star pass-rusher Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers, while defensive Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Alec Ogletree and Danny Trevathan are also gone from last year's team.

If the Bears decide to honor Smith's trade request, many teams are likely to line up for the chance to acquire one of the NFL's top linebackers.

ESPN's Mike Clay listed the Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots and Denver Broncos as teams that could make the most sense in a trade scenario.

Smith has played well enough to earn a contract in line with the best linebackers in the league. While it seemed likely that the Bears would be the ones to give it to him, they'll have to do damage control in order to convince him to stick around.

Aaron Rodgers is entering his 18th NFL season, and he's only getting better with age, having won the last two NFL MVP awards. But the 38-year-old isn't going to play forever.

Rodgers told The MMQB's Albert Breer that when it's time to hang it up, he won't drag out the decision. With that said, his passion for playing remains:

If I didn't have the passion to be out there, I would've said, I'm done. There was a time where I wanted to be a full-time contributor in the offseason. But as my year-long plan has kind of adjusted, I've found what works best for me. Spending time in the offseason in Southern California with my workout group and my trainers and my body-work people and my massage therapists is what gets me ready to play. But when I get back here it's all about focus on this season.

I'd never say this is my last year or I'm gonna play two more or three more. I'm never gonna hold the team hostage and drag anything out. But I need to focus on this season, and then get away from it and see how I'm feeling and then make a decision. And then once I make a decision like I did this year, then I'm full-go, 100 percent committed. And until I'm not willing to do that, I'm gonna keep playing.

The Packers are certainly glad he's back. Rodgers completed 68.9 percent of his passes for 4,115 yards, 37 touchdowns and only four interceptions across 16 starts last season. Over the last three seasons, Rodgers is 39-9 as the team's starter during the regular season.

While Rodgers' recent playoff record is more spotty, the Packers have been in contention over the past few years in large part because of him.

It will be the Jordan Love show for the Green Bay Packers when they take the field Friday for their preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers.

Head coach Matt LaFleur said starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers will not play against the 49ers or in the second preseason game against the New Orleans Saints, per The Athletic. From there, it remains undecided whether he will take the field for the final preseason contest against the Kansas City Chiefs.

That leaves the offense in Love's hands, and he will start against San Francisco.

The Packers selected Love with a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft, and there have been times when he seemed like their quarterback of the future given the uncertainty about how long Rodgers will play.

While Rodgers agreed to a three-year extension this offseason, he is also 38 years old and has been rather open about his desire to not play as long as counterpart Tom Brady.

"No, I don't," he told reporters when asked if he saw himself playing until he is 45 years old.

That makes the preseason reps all the more valuable for Love, who could eventually be tasked with following in the footsteps of Rodgers as the Packers' franchise quarterback. He appeared in six games with one start last year and was relatively inconsistent while completing 58.1 percent of his passes for 411 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Preseason starts give the Utah State product an opportunity to read NFL defenses while playing at game speeds and perhaps take strides that Rodgers did long ago.

Rodgers, meanwhile, likely doesn't need to take the field in the preseason to be ready to play come the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings. His illustrious resume includes a Super Bowl ring, four league MVPs and 10 Pro Bowl selections.

And his presence under center makes the Packers realistic Super Bowl contenders again in 2022, regardless of whether he takes a single preseason snap.

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is still a work in progress as he enters his second season, and NFL insider Peter King highlighted one area where he apparently needs improvement.

"When I watched Fields Friday, what I thought needed the most work was his anticipation throws, his rhythm throws," King wrote.

King also praised Fields' athleticism as a runner but noted only with practice reps will rollout plays turn from "tucking and running" into hitting his receivers on the move.

"We're working on the rhythm throws," Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said.

Chicago traded up to select Fields with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, and he completed 58.9 percent of passes for 1,870 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions during his rookie campaign. He was also a threat with his legs and added 420 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

While he showed flashes of his potential, there is also plenty of room for improvement. The only issue is, he is not exactly working with a wide receiver group that is loaded with proven playmakers outside of No. 1 option Darnell Mooney.

N'Keal Harry suffered an ankle injury and Byron Pringle suffered a quad injury, leaving a combination of players such as Equanimeous St. Brown, rookie Velus Jones Jr., Dazz Newsome and Tajae Sharpe to catch Fields' passes.

How well he anticipates when they will be open could determine the team's ceiling this season, but the Bears' are likely still in rebuilding mode with an eye on Fields' and the franchise's future.

The NFL is reportedly unlikely to reprimand Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers despite his admitted use of ayahuasca, a psychoactive tea that includes DMT, a hallucinogenic drug that is illegal in the United States and banned by the NFL.

Peter King of NBC Sports reached out to the league office, which refused to provide a comment. King then reached out to sources who said the NFL "very likely" will not punish Rodgers because he never tested positive for a banned substance.

The NFL does conduct random drug tests during the offseason, but DMT is nearly impossible to detect in blood and urine tests.

Rodgers recently revealed he drank ayahuasca during the 2020 offseason and then again this offseason. He credited his first journey with helping give him the mindset that led to his back-to-back MVP wins the past two seasons.

Speaking to King about his experience, Rodgers said the ayahuasca helped him find "self-love" and made him a better person and teammate.

“Man, it’s hard to answer that question with a short answer. But a lot of different ways. The most important way was really that self-love part," Rodgers said. "I think it’s unlocked a lot of my heart. Being able to fully give my heart to my teammates, my loved ones, relationships because I can fully embrace unconditionally myself.

"Just didn’t do that for a long time. I was very self-critical. When you have so much judgment on yourself it’s easy to transfer that judgment to other people. When you figure out a better way to love yourself, I think you can love people better because you’re not casting the same judgment you cast on yourself on other people. I’m really thankful for that.”

Rodgers also said the psychoactive helped him find a "deeper" love of football and "allowed me to look at each day with a little more joy.”

The NFL's decision to not punish Rodgers is interesting given his public admission to using a banned substance. It's fair to wonder if the league would have had the same reaction if a player admitted to using a performance-enhancing substance or a different drug without a positive test.

As it stands, the league is seemingly setting a precedent that players cannot be punished for taking drugs without a positive test.

In an interview with Peter King of NBC Sports, Aaron Rodgers said the use of the psychedelic drug ayahuasca helped "[unlock] a lot of my heart."

The Green Bay Packers QB first discussed using the drug on the Aubrey Marcus Podcast, saying it helped him win his back-to-back MVP awards over the past two years. He explained to King how the situation unfolded:

I have a dear friend that I've known for 25 years that went on an ayahuasca journey in 2019. He came back, and we played golf one day and he told me all about it. I said, OK, I think it's time that I do it. So we put together a trip to Peru [in 2020] and had a great experience. Then I went again this offseason and had another beautiful experience. Different, very different. Different size group, different amount of days.

The use of ayahuasca is illegal in the United States, but Rodgers saw significant value during his three-day trip in South America:

I came in with an intention of doing a lot of healing of other relationships and bringing in certain people to have conversations with. Most of the work was around myself and figuring out what unconditional love of myself looks like of myself. In doing that, allowing me to understand how to unconditionally love other people but first realizing it's gotta start with myself. I've got to be a little more gentle with myself and compassionate and forgiving because I've had some negative voices, negative self-talk, for a long time. A lot of healing went on. There's things—images from the nights, the journeys—that will come up in dreams or during the day I'll think about something that happened or something that I thought about. It's constantly trying to integrate those lessons into everyday life.

In 2020, Rodgers set a career high with 48 passing touchdowns to go with just five interceptions, leading the NFL with a 121.5 quarterback rating. A year later, he led the league in passer rating again at 111.9 to go along with 37 touchdowns and four picks.

It helped him win the third and fourth MVP awards of his career.

The next challenge for Rodgers will be winning his second Super Bowl title after several disappointing playoff exits in recent seasons.

Chicago Bears wide receiver N'Keal Harry has been diagnosed with a high ankle sprain after leaving Saturday's practice with an injury, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

From Inside Training Camp: #Bears WR N'Keal Harry was diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain and he's seeing a specialist to learn how long he's out, sources say. pic.twitter.com/iij00WbH4R

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 7, 2022

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler previously reported that Harry's injury was believed to be "severe."

Courtney Cronin of ESPN reported that Harry suffered the injury on the first play in team drills. He appeared to roll his ankle after he was tackled by linebacker Nicholas Morrow during a screen pass.

Harry was unable to put weight on his left ankle and was helped off the practice field, according to Cronin.

"I just saw him come down," head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters after Saturday's practice about Harry's injury. "I saw the play and I don't really know much from there. We're obviously going to do the evaluation and then once I get that, we can get it back to you. And if it's longer situation, we'll let you know what it is. If it's day-by-day, we'll say that, too."

Harry, 24, has had a tough start to his NFL career. The New England Patriots selected him with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft, but he has yet to live up to expectations. During his three years in New England, Harry caught only 57 passes for 598 yards and four touchdowns across 33 total games (18 starts).

Those would be mediocre numbers for one season, let alone three.

N’Keal Harry has now been hurt in preseason/camp in three of his four seasons: 2019 (ankle), 2021 (shoulder), 2022 (ankle). https://t.co/YXIiF5rZBM

— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) August 7, 2022

The Bears, hoping a change of scenery could unlock the potential in Harry that the Patriots once saw, traded a 2024 seventh-round pick to acquire him this offseason. The idea was for him to compete with players like Equanimeous St. Brown, Byron Pringle and rookie Velus Jones Jr. for a starting job next to Darnell Mooney.

"I just feel like it is a good fit for me," Harry told reporters in late July. "Coming into the building, even when I came into the building, I just felt a lot of good vibes. Everybody here is excited. Looking forward to the season and it's just a reset for me, a good reset."

Instead, the Bears are now dealing with a potentially serious injury to Harry, a quad injury for Pringle and a minor injury to Jones. It has not been a great summer for the wide receiver depth chart in Chicago.

Chicago Bears offensive tackle Teven Jenkins had been absent from training camp as he recovered from an undisclosed injury, but there had been a rumor that discontent and clashes with the coaching staff caused his absence.

Jenkins cleared up those rumors while speaking with reporters Saturday after he returned to camp.

"That was totally not true, and I just wanted to tell everybody that you don't have to believe everything that somebody says. It's just how it is," Jenkins said.

After Jenkins missed his first couple of practices due to injury, NBC Sports Chicago’s David Kaplan reported on July 30 that there was "a high level of disconnect" between the 2021 second-round pick and Chicago's new coaching staff, particularly with new offensive line coach Chris Morgan.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo then reported on Aug. 1 that the Bears had been receiving calls inquiring about a trade for Jenkins. ESPN's Peggy Kusinski added on Aug. 3 that Chicago was "actively" trying to move him.

However, Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said Friday that Jenkins has participated in team meetings and is "all in" for the 2022 season. In addition, he said Jenkins would compete for one of the starting tackle spots when healthy.

Jenkins addressed the trade rumors and report of clashing with coaches in a Twitter post on Aug. 2:

I’m good don’t believe everything you read

— Tev (@TevenJenkins) August 2, 2022

Jenkins had missed seven straight practices, but he returned to training camp Saturday and participated in individual drills. He didn't provide any details on his injury and whether it was related to the back issues that hampered him in 2021.

He said:

"It feels really good and I'm not having any discomfort right now, so it's really good. If I had to give myself a percent, probably around 90% and it's just about working my body back into the feeling of football back again and getting back to that 100% of 'this is football' and get ready to go."

The Oklahoma State product was limited to six games and 161 offensive snaps as a rookie last season because of a back injury that required surgery.

Chicago Bears wide receiver N'Keal Harry was helped off the field by teammates and trainers after he suffered an apparent injury during practice Saturday, according to Adam Jahns of The Athletic.

Harry is less than one month into his tenure with the Bears, as they acquired him from the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round draft pick last month.

The Patriots selected Harry 32nd in the first round of the 2019 draft, but he failed to live up to expectations during his three seasons in New England.

Harry starred collegiately at Arizona State, recording 213 receptions for 2,889 yards and 22 touchdowns in three seasons, but that same success has eluded the 6'4" wideout in the NFL.

In three seasons, Harry has appeared in 33 regular-season games, starting 18 of them. He made just 57 grabs for 598 yards and four touchdowns.

Last season was arguably his worst campaign, as he had just 12 catches for 184 yards and no touchdowns in 12 regular-season games. He also didn't make a catch in New England's AFC Wild Card Round loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Despite his struggles, Harry was a worthwhile gamble for the Bears since they are a rebuilding team without many established options at wide receiver.

The 24-year-old has a ton of potential, and if he can find his game, he could be a big-time target for quarterback Justin Fields down the field and in the red zone.

With Allen Robinson II leaving to sign with the Los Angeles Rams in free agency, Darnell Mooney is by far the Bears' top wideout after he posted 81 catches for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns last season, which was his second NFL campaign.

The Bears brought in several wide receivers this offseason, including Byron Pringle, Equanimeous St. Brown, Tajae Sharpe and rookie third-round pick Velus Jones Jr., but none are established No. 2 options.

Harry isn't either, but he has perhaps his best chance yet to earn significant playing time and a possible starting job.

If he is forced to miss any time with the injury he suffered Saturday, though, it could make it difficult for him to prove he deserves a roster spot.

The Chicago Bears and cornerback Davontae Harris reportedly reached an agreement on a contract ahead of the 2022 season.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported the signing Friday. Terms of the deal weren't immediately released.

Harris has made 36 appearances across four years in the NFL, including stops with the Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers.

The 27-year-old Illinois State product has made his main impact on special teams. Only once did he play a higher percentage of defensive snaps than on the coverage teams, which came in 2019 when he made six starts at corner for the Broncos, per Pro Football Reference.

He's coming off a 2021 campaign in which he recorded nine total tackles across six appearances (five with the Chargers and one with the Niners).

In all, Harris has tallied 59 tackles, four passes defended, one forced fumble and no interceptions in his NFL career.

Now the 2018 fifth-round selection has an opportunity to fight for a roster spot with the Bears, who have some questions at corner entering the new season.

Two of Chicago's projected starters at the position, Jaylon Johnson and nickel Tavon Young, received lackluster grades from Pro Football Focus last season (64.2 and 60.4, respectively) and the other is a rookie, second-round pick Kyler Gordon.

So if Harris can make a strong impression throughout training camp and the preseason, he should get a reasonable chance to earn some meaningful defensive snaps in addition to his usual work on special teams.

The Bears open the preseason Aug. 13 when they welcome the Kansas City Chiefs to Solider Field and then kick off the regular season at home Sept. 11 with an NFC clash against the San Francisco 49ers.