The Chicago Bears informed the rest of the NFL in emphatic fashion on “Sunday Night Football” against the San Francisco 49ers that their offense has officially arrived under the combination of head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams.
Chicago’s defense made essentially the exact opposite declaration, though with just about equal force.
The Bears came up a couple yards shy of a road victory in Santa Clara that would have positioned them to potentially claim the NFC’s top seed and a bye through the first round of the playoffs.
But that feat, had Chicago accomplished it, would have been almost entirely attributable to the offense, as San Francisco fired the last bullet in a 42-38 shootout that left Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III writhing on the end zone paint with quad pain and the Chicago coaching staff searching for answers about how it can stop the conference’s top offenses this postseason.
Though there are several roster deficiencies on the Bears’ defense, perhaps the most glaring is the lack of a consistent pass rush. Montez Sweat is averaging essentially one sack every two games since joining the team ahead of the 2023 trade deadline, while defensive end Austin Booker has come on late in his second season and has two promising years ahead on a fifth-round rookie’s contract.
Beyond that, the cupboard in the Bears’ edge-rushers room is essentially bare. The franchise spent big to revamp the offensive line last offseason and had the No. 2 unit in the league heading into Week 17.
Chicago could make a similar leap in the trenches on defense by targeting Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders, who appears increasingly fed up with his situation in the AFC West Division.
Maxx Crosby Upset With Raiders After Team Chose to Shut Him Down to End Season
GettyLas Vegas Raiders star edge-rusher Maxx Crosby.
The Raiders chose to shut Crosby down for the remainder of the year ahead of the team’s matchup against the New York Giants on Sunday, December 28. Las Vegas lost that game and is now positioned to earn the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft.
But reporters and analysts across the league have documented thoroughly Crosby’s intense dissatisfaction with that decision. So much so that some, such as Albert Breer of SI, believe trade discussions are a real possibility in the coming offseason.
“My sense is this will likely lead Crosby to consider all of his options,” Breer wrote Monday. “He’ll be 29 by the start of next season and has a lot of mileage on his body after finishing each of the past three seasons hurt. His contract is tradeable, and the Raiders still look like they’re a couple of good offseasons away from contending.”
“Now, he can take his time cooling off,” Breer continued. “However, I’d imagine as the combine and free agency draw closer, Crosby’s situation will be a point of conversation.”
Maxx Crosby Would Cost Bears 2 First-Round Picks and More Than $100 Million
GettyEdge-rusher Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Crosby would be a massive swing for Chicago given his recent three-year extension worth $106.5 million in total, which he signed in March 2025 and keeps him under contract through the 2029 campaign.
Then there is Crosby’s trade price that the Bears must consider.
“According to an NFL executive who spoke on the condition of anonymity Friday, Crosby would fetch at least two first-round picks,” Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote December 26. “After signing a contract extension this year, the executive said Crosby’s contract is ‘easily tradeable.’”
All that said, Chicago has become a serious contender more quickly than perhaps even it expected. The offense needs tweaks, while Williams needs development. But the defense needs a couple of major additions.
The Bears own seven picks in the upcoming draft and can try to build that way. But if one or two game-changers in free agency or via trade can make Chicago a true Super Bowl contender, the idea of dealing for Crosby — or another player like him — isn’t far-fetched in the slightest.
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