National Football League
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The Baltimore Ravens locked up one of their defensive linchpins on Tuesday, as NFL Network reported that Baltimore agreed to a five-year, $100 million contract with linebacker Roquan Smith.
The deal includes $45 million fully guaranteed and $60 million in total guarantees. This makes Smith the highest-paid inside linebacker in NFL history and the first to net $20 million per season.
Baltimore acquired Smith, who was set to hit the open market this offseason, from the Chicago Bears for second- and fifth-round draft picks and linebacker A.J. Klein at the trade deadline. Smith has totaled 86 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three passes defensed and two sacks across nine games with the Ravens.
The 25-year-old Smith recently earned his first Pro Bowl nod, one of six Ravens to do so. He made the All-Pro second team the previous two years with the Bears, who selected the Georgia product with the No. 8 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Smith was Chicago’s leading tackler in each of his four full seasons with them (2018-21).
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