It isn’t a secret that Maxx Crosby has fast become one of the gems of the 2026 offseason. Everybody knows he is likely to get traded after a falling out with the Las Vegas Raiders. Their decision to bench him in favor of tanking while facing another long rebuild was the final straw. He wants to win and is prepared to demand that the team send him somewhere he’ll have a chance to do that. It doesn’t take a quantum physicist to know half the league will be interested in him. What they probably didn’t expect was that Caleb Williams would fire the first shot before anybody else.
Crosby has a weekly podcast called The Rush. In episode 81, he had a special guest. Yep, the Chicago Bears’ quarterback. There is no way that is a coincidence. Williams will play it off as innocent, but he’s way too smart a person to do this by accident. That is especially true when you listen to their dynamic. The mutual respect is obvious, and it’s clear they like each other. Crosby has immense expectations for Williams. He also gave a nod of approval for how the Bears fixed their organizational issues, which led to their playoff run last season.
Caleb Williams isn’t ignorant of the Bears’ needs.
Despite their success in getting to the playoffs, it became apparent they were flawed when matched up against the league’s best. No issue loomed larger than their pass rush. Montez Sweat and Austin Booker had some nice moments, but the team lacked a true impact play on their defensive line. It is a big reason the Bears were a distant 23rd in sack percentage this past season. It is hard to win a championship under those conditions. Chicago has been trying to fix it for the past few years.
| Rank | Team | Sack Percentage | Total Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver Broncos | 10.43% | 68.0 |
| 2 | Minnesota Vikings | 9.88% | 49.0 |
| 3 | Cleveland Browns | 9.81% | 53.0 |
| 4 | Atlanta Falcons | 9.73% | 57.0 |
| 5 | Houston Texans | 8.55% | 47.0 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Chargers | 8.55% | 45.0 |
| 7 | New Orleans Saints | 8.40% | 45.0 |
| 8 | Detroit Lions | 8.11% | 49.0 |
| 9 | Tennessee Titans | 7.55% | 42.0 |
| 10 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 7.33% | 48.0 |
| 11 | Seattle Seahawks | 7.32% | 47.0 |
| 12 | Washington Commanders | 7.22% | 42.0 |
| 13 | Miami Dolphins | 7.04% | 39.0 |
| 14 | Philadelphia Eagles | 6.95% | 42.0 |
| 15 | Los Angeles Rams | 6.85% | 47.0 |
| 16 | New England Patriots | 6.65% | 35.0 |
| 17 | New York Giants | 6.62% | 39.0 |
| 18 | Las Vegas Raiders | 6.60% | 37.0 |
| 19 | Kansas City Chiefs | 6.43% | 35.0 |
| 20 | Buffalo Bills | 6.41% | 36.0 |
| 21 | Cincinnati Bengals | 6.15% | 35.0 |
| 22 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6.12% | 37.0 |
| 23 | Chicago Bears | 6.05% | 35.0 |
| 24 | Dallas Cowboys | 5.92% | 35.0 |
| 25 | Indianapolis Colts | 5.86% | 39.0 |
| 26 | Green Bay Packers | 5.84% | 36.0 |
| 27 | Carolina Panthers | 5.34% | 35.0 |
| 28 | Arizona Cardinals | 4.98% | 59.0 |
| 29 | New York Jets | 4.81% | 60.0 |
| 30 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 4.69% | 41.0 |
| 31 | Baltimore Ravens | 4.58% | 45.0 |
| 32 | San Francisco 49ers | 3.49% | 20.0 |
Bears general manager Ryan Poles has taken some significant swings. He traded for Sweat in 2023, drafted Gervon Dexter that same year, and recently signed both Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett in free agency last spring. It hasn’t been enough. The team still lacks that dynamic presence opponents must account for. Somebody like Crosby. That is why Caleb Williams’ timing is plenty suspicious. He knows a huge part of making such a trade happen is getting the All-Pro on board. This interview feels like the perfect way to pave the road.
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The best part is that there is nothing to stop Williams from doing it.
The NFL has a rule against team tampering with other players, be they trade targets or pending free agents. However, that rule doesn’t extend to other players. Williams is free to recruit Crosby as much as he wants. It doesn’t break any bylaws. Sure, the two respect each other and seem to be forming a friendship. Yet there is also the makings of a business transaction. Williams wants to build on what the Bears accomplished in 2025, this time getting to the Super Bowl. Crosby wants to join a winning team.
It is a mutually beneficial arrangement.
The challenge for the Bears is two-fold: putting together a package that Las Vegas would accept and finding the necessary cap space to bring Crosby aboard. Recent buzz suggests that packaging wide receiver D.J. Moore, the Bears’ 25th overall pick, and a 3rd round pick in 2027 would be palatable for the Raiders since it gets them that second 1st rounder and another weapon for Francisco Mendoza. If they can get Crosby excited about the prospect of joining the Bears to play with Williams, he might push the Vegas brass to facilitate a deal. It’s worked before.
