The Chicago Bears aren’t in a position to go on a spending spree in free agency again. They’re wrapped up in too many difficult contracts. Still, Bears general manager Ryan Poles should be able to create enough space to take at least one calculated swing. It would have to be for somebody who won’t command a huge contract but can still be a big help to the roster. There will be options on that front. It is a question of what head coach Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen want to prioritize.

Insider Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated did a breakdown of the top 50 pending free agents this year, revealing how much they will likely cost and their possible landing spots. The Bears were connected to three of these names. One you’ll know very well. The other two require further exploration.

26. Bryan Cook, S, Chiefs

Projected contract: Three years, $45 million

Potential landing spots: Bears, Steelers

29. Khalil Mack, edge, Chargers

Projected contract: One year, $12 million

Potential landing spots: Bears, Buccaneers, Lions

44. Leo Chenal, LB, Chiefs

Projected contract: Three years, $25 million

Potential landing spots: Bills, Bears

Mack was a star for the Bears from 2018 through 2021 before being traded to the Chargers. Though considerably older at 35, he’s still an effective pass rusher. The Bears need one. As for Cook and Chenal, they require some digging.

The Chicago Bears are looking for more speed.

That was the directive Johnson issued at the start of the offseason. He wants the team to get faster. That is especially true on defense. Chenal definitely checks that box. The linebacker ran a 4.53 in the 40 at his combine, and it shows on tape. He has the range and agility to hang with running backs and tight ends in coverage. The reason you don’t hear about him too often is that he’s only been a part-time defender in Kansas City, playing an average of 45-50% of their snaps over the past three years. Despite that, he still compiled 183 tackles, six sacks, and an interception.

Cook was compared to Julian Blackmon coming out of college, and that has held up pretty well. He’s not the flashiest player in the world, but he’s dependable and versatile. He can handle himself in coverage and does dirty work around the line of scrimmage. What stands out the most is his personality. He’s known for being tough, physical, and a vocal leader. You could call him another Jaquan Brisker type. The appeal is pretty obvious. However, the expected money makes that idea problematic.

Out of the group, one stands above the rest.

Sadly, it’s not Mack. While a reunion would be great, the $12 million price tag isn’t something the Bears can really entertain. The same goes for Cook’s $15 million. That means if the Chicago Bears pursue anybody, it will be Chenal. It makes sense. He’s been itching for a more full-time role. The Bears are expected to unload Tremaine Edmunds within the next week. Noah Sewell is recovering from a season-ending injury. The door is wide open for a new starter to step in. Chenal has what Allen is looking for at that position.

Most importantly, the $8.33 million per year price tag is far more forgiving compared to the other options. The Bears should be able to afford it after making their necessary cap-saving moves. It won’t be a blockbuster addition as, say, a Maxx Crosby would be. That said, Chenal would plug an important hole as the team retools, getting younger and faster. Even the smaller moves count. It will be interesting to see if that is the direction they go or if they pivot to bigger fish.

The Bears-Maxx Crosby smoke just got louder.

The Chicago Bears are now the betting favorites at +200 to land Maxx Crosby, according to DraftKings. When sportsbooks move odds like this, it usually means action is coming in on one side. Right now, that side is Chicago.

That does not guarantee a trade is close. But it does signal growing belief that the Bears are seriously involved.

Las Vegas has real questions to answer. Crosby turns 29 in August. He has had surgery after each of the past two seasons. He is still elite, but the Raiders may be looking at a roster reset and asking if now is the time to cash in.

The betting market thinks Chicago makes sense.

The Cap Reality

Here is the part many fans are not talking about.

For a Maxx Crosby trade to work cap-wise for the Bears, moves would need to follow. Specifically, a trade involving DJ Moore and Tremaine Edmunds.

Trading Moore and Edmunds would free up about $31.5 million in cap space. Crosby’s incoming salary sits at $30 million.

The numbers line up almost exactly. But I am not certain DJ Moore is truly shipped out this off-season.

But those are not small pieces. Moore is a top offensive weapon. Edmunds is a defensive leader. Moving both just to fit Crosby under the cap changes the structure of the roster.

And that is before you factor in the likely cost of two first-round picks.

My Opinion: Chicago Shouldn’t Do This

I understand the appeal. Crosby is a tone-setter. He would instantly elevate the pass rush. Pairing him with Montez Sweat would give the Bears a dangerous front.

But this feels like too much.

Two first-round picks. A $30 million salary. Possibly moving DJ Moore just to make the math work. That is a heavy price for a player entering his age-29 season who has had back-to-back years ending in surgery.

The Bears are building something sustainable. They have been disciplined with draft capital. They have stayed patient. This move would feel like stepping outside that plan. But it could work – that’s why it’s intriguing.

Betting odds are one thing. Team building is another.

If I am Chicago, I pass. Keep the picks. Keep the core. Build through the draft and stay balanced rather than forcing a blockbuster that could limit flexibility for years.

Sometimes the smart move is the one you do not make.

You knew when the rumors surfaced that the Chicago Bears checked in on the availability of Myles Garrett last year that they were very much in the market for a top pass rusher. Of course, that is easy to say. The problem is that such players are incredibly expensive. Bears general manager Ryan Poles would love nothing better than to land a star of that caliber, but he’d prefer not to mortgage the future while doing so. Still, after watching his defense struggle to pressure the quarterback again last season, one has to imagine the team is at least contemplating a move for Maxx Crosby.

The Las Vegas Raiders had another terrible season, and the Pro Bowl defensive end seems to have reached his breaking point. He wants to win. Now with the team facing another long rebuild, it feels like time for the two sides to part ways. Albert Breer of the MMQB reported that Chicago is definitely expressing interest in Crosby. However, they’re facing stiff competition. No fewer than six other teams were named as also in pursuit of the pass rusher, including some notorious heavy hitters.

I’d lean toward a Maxx Crosby trade happening, and maybe this week. But there’s going to have to be some needle-threading. I don’t think the Raiders want to go through the song-and-dance of shopping him, nor do I believe Crosby wants it advertised that he’s looking for suitors, given his bond with owner Mark Davis, and his view of himself as a Raider…

…We should know soon enough which path the Raiders are taking, with teams like Dallas, Chicago, Baltimore, Buffalo, New England, Philadelphia and the Rams keeping tabs on his availability.

The Bears likely don’t have the stomach for a Maxx Crosby fight.

While six teams having interest in him is no shock, the two that should concern the Bears are the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles. No team has earned a reputation for blockbuster trades over the past decade than L.A. Since 2017, they have conducted six trades in which they gave up at least a 2nd round pick for a player they coveted. There were three instances in which they included at least one 1st-round pick (Brandin Cooks, Matthew Stafford, and Jalen Ramsey). The Rams have two 1st round picks in the draft this year. They have more than enough ammo to make the deal.

Meanwhile, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is the best wheeler-dealer in the NFL today. Nobody is better at working the phones for trades, often getting good players at great value or great value for good players. If Roseman is involved in this, you can bet he is putting all of his expertise into maneuvering his way into the pole position for Maxx Crosby. A chance to pair him with Jalen Carter and the emerging Jalyx Hunt is an opportunity he won’t pass up.

This Bears regime doesn’t operate on home run swings.

Poles made that clear from the moment he took over. While blockbuster deals are a great way to generate excitement, they don’t often make it easy to sustain a contending window. That is done through consistently good drafting with high picks. It probably isn’t a coincidence that the 2010s were the worst decade of Bears football, maybe ever. It was characterized by two massive trades: the one for Jay Cutler in 2009 and another for Khalil Mack in 2018. Those deals cost the team four 1st round picks. How much of a difference would those have made if the team had kept them?

Maxx Crosby is an outstanding football player. He will instantly improve any defense he joins. However, the price tag for him will be steep. Most believe it will take at least a 1st round pick and a day two pick. It might even get up to two 1st round picks. In such a scenario, the Bears can’t be expected to stay involved. They don’t have the capital to afford such a move, especially with several other issues on the roster to address.

It hasn’t been hard to see that Ben Johnson is a die-hard competitor. The man devotes countless hours of his time to the game of football. One might call him obsessed. No detail gets overlooked, whether crafting an offense, coaching his quarterback, or studying potential draft picks. It wasn’t a surprise to see the Chicago Bears‘ head coach in Indianapolis for the scouting combine. He wanted to get a look at the players up close while also fulfilling his responsibilities to the media machine.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported how full his schedule actually was. The man covered a ton of miles and several tasks in just one day. His energy and endurance remain impressive.

After a media whirlwind of group interviews and then select multimedia appearances beginning in the morning, he was back on the road by early afternoon. In fact, word is Johnson was back at Halas Hall that evening in time to join some of the team’s one-on-one interviews virtually.

That’s the way he wanted to attack things, and the team is fortunate Johnson agreed to do the media tour. He’s the best frontman the Bears have had in a long while.

However, Bears fans have no idea how crazy the man is. A healthy person would’ve struggled with that schedule. As it turns out, Johnson was sick the whole time. If you saw his opening press conference, he looked unusually haggard and gaunt. Well, there was a reason for that. CHGO found out.

If Johnson looked off during his Tuesday media availability, it’s because he was overcoming a bout of food poisoning that struck before he traveled to Indianapolis.

Ben Johnson remains a sick human being, literally and figuratively.

Anyone who has experienced food poisoning understands one fact. You are bedridden constantly and never more than a few feet away from a bathroom. Johnson got dressed, drove a couple of hours to the combine, did the media rounds, drove back, and did one-on-one interviews with prospects. People say someone is “built different” a little too much these days. In Johnson’s case, it is true. The man is so driven to make the Bears a success that he’ll sacrifice his own comfort and well-being to further that goal.

Nobody can ever again say the man isn’t dedicated to the cause. It’d be one thing if he fought through illness to be in a high-profile playoff game. Doing it at the scouting combine, which several other head coaches skip voluntarily, is sicko behavior. How can you not love the guy?

The Bears came away with plenty of good data to help construct their draft board for next month. Position groups like the safeties, edge rushers, and offensive tackles stood out. They should have plenty of good options when they go on the clock. No doubt Johnson will be at the center of those decisions, given his considerable power inside the building. Hopefully, he won’t be ill any longer.

Following the 2024 season, opinions on Caleb Williams from coaches around the league were what you’d expect. He’s still raw, too indecisive, holds the ball too, but wickedly talented. Maybe he’ll be good one day, but that could take a while. It’s crazy to think how much a narrative can change in a year. Williams finished the 2025 season with probably the best campaign a Bears quarterback has had in the Super Bowl era. He compiled over 4,000 total yards, including a team record 3,941 passing and 30 total touchdowns. Chicago went 11-6, won the division, and were an overtime away from the NFC Championship.

Yet that isn’t what has the coaching community inside the NFL buzzing, and a little nervous. Dan Wiederer and Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic spoke to several defensive coaches at the scouting combine in Indianapolis. They all kept referencing Williams’ ability to rally late in games.

“I never saw him flinch,” one personnel man said. “That’s what you respect most. You could feel that confidence that he is never out of a game. There aren’t a lot of quarterbacks who operate that way.”

With Williams, it’s not just the Bears who now understand that they are never out of a game. Opponents now feel it, too, adding a psychological component to every game the Bears play. Said one AFC exec: “With guys like him, you feel constant pressure to have a two-score lead. And even when you have that, you’re not comfortable.”

That discomfort is real and, at times, suffocating for an opponent. For the Bears, the belief in Williams can offer a stimulant.

“Even inside of a game where you’re not playing well and your offense isn’t doing anything, as soon as you get that one score, you can almost feel it from the other side: ‘Oh, f—. Here we go,’” the exec said.

You can just tell from how they speak that Williams has sent shockwaves through the league. If there is one thing defensive coordinators hate the most, it’s having to defend against quarterbacks who play their best late in games.

Caleb Williams is the worst kind of quarterback to defend.

It’s bad enough that he seems to possess the rare calm in the face of mounting pressure during games. His pulse never speeds up. What makes it worse is his ability to avoid pressure and make plays off-script. Defenses can’t focus on attacking him the same way every play because nobody knows what he’s going to do from snap to snap. All that scrambling drains opponents. The later it gets, the more gassed they become. By the final five minutes, their tanks are empty. That is when Williams often strikes the killing blow.

People forget, but that is why John Elway was so proficient at 4th-quarter comebacks throughout his career. Everybody remembers the cannon arm and calm under pressure. They forget how often he used his legs to buy time. Defenses hated facing him because of that. Williams is built the same way. The trick with Elway was ensuring he had an offense around him that didn’t always require those heroics. It took Denver over a decade to finally figure it out. Thankfully, the Bears seem to have gotten it right early with Ben Johnson.

The only thing Williams is missing is a defense.

Part of the reason Chicago constantly needed comebacks last year was the defense’s inability to hold leads. Four of them came after the opposing team had scored in the 4th quarter to go ahead. That is the price you pay for having the 29th-ranked defense in the league. Getting that fixed is a priority for Bears general manager Ryan Poles and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. Caleb Williams has yet to play with a great defense in his football career. From high school through Oklahoma and USC, he constantly had to carry his teams with tons of points.

People give Tom Brady all the credit for seven Super Bowl rings. They often forget to point out that he played with 19 defenses that finished in the top 10 in the league during his career. It’s much easier to win championships under those conditions. Aaron Rodgers, his idol, only played with three. One of them was in 2010 when he won his only Super Bowl. That is the next step for Chicago. Get Williams a defense. Once the puzzle is put together, that elusive Lombardi trophy will be in sight.

The Chicago Bears surprised many last offseason when they elected to extend backup quarterback Tyson Bagent. It wasn’t the shock that the team did it. They’d made it clear they loved having him and would prefer to keep it that way. No, the surprise was that Bagent accepted the offer. It had been expected that the young backup would eventually leave as a free agent in 2026, hoping to compete for a starting job elsewhere. The Bears had drafted Caleb Williams #1 overall in 2024. He wasn’t going anywhere. Instead, Bagent opted to take a decent deal to stay put.

Part of the reason for it was loyalty to the Bears for believing in him when other teams didn’t. However, another part wanted the chance to work under new head coach Ben Johnson. Bagent was aware of the man’s offensive reputation and felt learning from him would be beneficial. It didn’t take Johnson long to take a liking to the young quarterback, which is why the Bears moved quickly to extend him. The head coach recently stated he believes Bagent is one of the 32 best quarterbacks in the NFL. According to Adam Hoge and Adam Jahns of CHGO, those comments got the attention of other teams.

“There’s just not a lot of good quarterbacks available,” an executive said. 

Johnson’s effusive praise of Bagent at the combine was heard around the league, including by some QB-needy teams. And many believe him. “It’s something,” a scout said. 

Teams have been doing their research on Bagent for some time. The general consensus is that, although he doesn’t have the physical gifts of Williams, there is talent to work with. 

“He more than makes up for it on the mental side, too,” a scout said. 

Several league contacts brought up what Bagent did in the Bears’ win against the Kansas City Chiefs in the preseason. He was 20-for-28 passing for 212 yards and three touchdowns. He also led a game-winning drive in the final two minutes. 

Ben Johnson’s opinion of Tyson Bagent goes a long way.

The wider NFL has the utmost respect for the Bears head coach and his offensive acumen. As well they should. In four years, Johnson has never not had a top 10 offense. He got Jared Goff to play the best football of his career, and now elevated Caleb Williams to the best season any Chicago quarterback has ever had. This man knows what they’re supposed to look like. If he says Bagent has the goods to start in this league, other teams would be wise to listen. That is especially true this offseason.

Just look at the list of free agents who could be available.

Then you look at the draft. Francisco Mendoza is the only quarterback certain to go in the 1st round. After that, many believe another may not go until day two. It is a weak class with lots of questions. From the perspective of QB-needy teams, which would you rather do? Spend a 2nd round pick on a rookie who needs a ton of work and may not pan out, or spend a 2nd round pick on a 25-year-old kid who has NFL experience and a firm nod of approval from one of the NFL’s best offensive minds?

The Bears are rightfully banking on the latter.

They understand how limited a commodity quarterbacks are. Tyson Bagent checks key boxes. He’s young, experienced, has played under a top coach, and above all, cheap. The two years left on his new contract are easily affordable for even cash-strapped teams. That is why they feel justified in demanding a high price. Current belief is it’s in the vicinity of a 2nd round pick. That isn’t unheard of. Jimmy Garoppolo went for a 2nd in 2017 from New England to San Francisco. That worked out pretty well for the 49ers

The obvious unanswered question is which team could end up being the one that foots the bill? Arizona was the first mentioned as an interested party. Ian Cunningham is GM in Atlanta. He helped add Tyson Bagent as an undrafted free agent in 2023. They need a quarterback. The New York Jets need one and have an extra 2nd round pick at their disposal. It’s all about the right situation presenting itself. If a couple of teams miss out on who they may want in free agency, they may pivot to Bagent rather than take their chances in the draft.