NFL warns teams of non-certified agent working on Roquan Smith's behalf

In a memo sent Monday, the NFL Management Council cautioned teams about a non-certified agent making contact on Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith's behalf, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

The league warned that any interaction with a player under contract or his camp without permission from his team is considered tampering, Pelissero adds.

The memo, which ESPN's Courtney Cronin obtained, states that "a person by the name of Saint Omni" is reaching out to clubs under the guise of representing Smith. However, Omni is prohibited from "negotiating player contracts or discussing potential trades" and advising any negotiation for any player, according to the memo.

Smith requested a trade out of Chicago last week due to failed contract talks between the two sides. The linebacker claimed the Bears' brass "has been trying to take advantage" of him since negotiations opened in April. Drafted eighth overall in 2018, Smith was recently activated off the PUP list but hasn't taken the field in training camp or the preseason.

General manager Ryan Poles, whom the team hired in the offseason, expressed disappointment with the trade request and maintained that he intends to sign Smith.

Smith does not have an agent and hasn't received permission from the Bears to seek trade partners.

The NFL's warning comes after it stripped the Miami Dolphins of their 2023 first-round pick and their 2024 third-rounder for previously tampering with Tom Brady and former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton. Miami owner Stephen Ross was also fined $1.5 million and suspended through Oct. 17 as additional punishment.