We Finally Know Who Is Pulling The Roquan Smith Strings
Something weird is going on. Roquan Smith would like everybody to believe he is engineering this entire fiasco over his contract by himself. Yet it always felt like somebody was pulling the strings behind the scenes. Those beliefs were further validated when Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk revealed somebody claiming to be the linebacker’s representative was calling other NFL teams about the possibility of a trade. Not only was that illegal because the unidentified person wasn’t a certified agent, but he was also doing it without permission from the Chicago Bears.
The NFL has since sent out a memo not only warning other teams not to engage with this person, but we finally have a name. According to Courtney Cronin of ESPN, the individual is Saint Omni. Not much is known about him. His Facebook page claims he is a business consultant for high-profile athletes.
The NFL Management Council just sent a memo to teams warning of a non-NFLPA certified agent contacting teams on Roquan Smith’s behalf.
“The NFLPA has informed us that a person by the name of Saint Omni, who is not an NFLPA certified agent, is contacting Clubs and indicating
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) August 15, 2022
“he is representing Roquan Smith, who is under contract to the Chicago Bears.
Mr. Omni is prohibited from negotiating Player Contracts or discussing potential trades on behalf of any NFL player or prospective player or assisting in or advising with respect to such negotiations.”— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) August 15, 2022
A pattern starts to emerge upon doing some digging.
Omni’s name first popped up a few years ago when he reportedly helped Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil negotiate his contract extension with the Houston Texans. This came shortly after the Miami Dolphins traded him. He claims he works for LifeLine Financial Group in Beverly Hills, California. Tunsil has no agent. Another name connected to Omni is Seattle Seahawks 1st round pick Charles Cross. He, too, is operating without an agent. Sensing the pattern yet?
.@ReyMDiaz — who was just promoted to 670 lead investigative reporter — is hunting down Roquan Smith pseudo-agent Saint Omni for an interview.
Omni's workplace confirms he exists but "he's never in the same place twice" and doesn't give out his cell.https://t.co/A4Y9VfM4QA pic.twitter.com/0mN63nvLOx
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) August 15, 2022
Omni is likely the one pushing Roquan Smith.
The Tunsil situation is a great example. He played hardball with the Dolphins on a new contract. They eventually traded him to Houston, who then gave him the massive payday he was looking for. Everything about Smith’s approach to negotiations over the past months reeks of the same playbook.
- Demand a record-breaking contract.
- Open the trade doors when the team balks.
- Get him traded to a team that will cave to his demands.
There is only one problem. It appears the Bears aren’t as open to the trade idea as the Dolphins were. Part of that is his value. Off-the-ball linebackers don’t fetch the same packages as left tackles. GM Ryan Poles knows he isn’t getting two 1st round picks back for Roquan Smith like Miami did for Tunsil. It seems that lack of cooperation frustrated Omni, so he sent out feelers to other teams. He quickly learned that “business manager” means nothing when it comes to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Smith doesn’t have the leverage he thinks he does. The Bears not only have him under contract through 2022, but they also can franchise tag him in 2023. They might consider trading him if the return were worth it. The problem is even great linebackers aren’t in high demand. Especially not at the price tag he seeks. Mr. Omni better change his strategy before it makes a bad situation worse.