The entire Maxx Crosby saga was one of the strangest in recent memory. For years, the pass rusher has been the face of the Las Vegas Raiders. It felt like he might be on a Hall of Fame trajectory. Sadly, the Raiders haven’t been able to construct a winner in most of that time, leaving Crosby’s efforts unrewarded. As a result, the star defensive end requested a trade after the Raiders bottomed out with the league’s worst record last season. What followed was the kind of high-stakes chase you’d expect among NFL teams for players of his caliber.
Many wondered if the Chicago Bears were involved. It made sense. They badly needed a difference-making piece on their defensive line. Crosby was exactly that, and seemed to have a strong admiration for both quarterback Caleb Williams and head coach Ben Johnson. However, in the end, the Baltimore Ravens won the race, only to back out at the last second with a failed physical. Crosby returned to the Raiders and vowed to play this season with them. How close were the Bears in all of it? Dan Wiederer of The Athletic finally shared details.
While the Bears were linked to that Crosby storyline for weeks, with speculation swirling that they, too, had offered Las Vegas a pair of first-round picks, that wasn’t the case, a league source told The Athletic. Serious discussions were needed about Crosby’s age (28); the weight of his contract (salary-cap hits north of $35 million and $38 million over the next two seasons, respectively); and his health status (including meniscus repair surgery in January). And Poles has always prided himself on the guardrails he establishes for such situations.
The Bears ultimately retreated when it became clear the auction was heading well beyond their comfort zone.
Maxx Crosby just wasn’t worth the price tag.
It’s clear from this update that the Bears were indeed making a run at the star pass rusher. However, general manager Ryan Poles had set a red line he would not cross. It appears that when the price reached two 1st round picks, that was the signal to bow out. This isn’t a big surprise. Poles came from Kansas City. That team had never traded two 1sts for a veteran player during his time there, believing it was vital to protect the future. He’s operated that way since he took over the Bears.
However, it was more than that. As brilliant as Crosby is, he will be 29 years old this season, and he is coming off a pretty serious knee injury. Giving up two 1st round picks for a player like that means you better be almost certain it’s a final piece to a Super Bowl kind of move. The Bears were nowhere near that type of situation, especially after losing multiple starters from last year’s team to free agency and trades. This was one of those times where the Bears had to accept reality.
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One can’t blame Poles for sticking to his vision.
He said his intention was to build through the draft. Huge swings for proven players are fun in the moment and usually give your team an immediate boost. The problem is that it is typically short-lived and ends up hurting the franchise in the long run. Chicago already saw that with both Jay Cutler and Khalil Mack. You do not make such deals unless you’re as close to certain as possible that it makes you a championship favorite. As good as Maxx Crosby is, that wasn’t the case from the Bears’ perspective.
Too many needs. Not enough money and draft capital. In the end, it didn’t matter. Crosby ended up right back where he started and now seems determined to stay put. There isn’t much for the Bears to do but move on and seek other opportunities. There will always be more. It’s the NFL. As things stand, it feels like the team intends to attack the draft with gusto, hoping to land a handful of capable starters and build on their success from last April.
