Bears cleared cap space, then surprisingly didn't pursue Maxx Crosby. This strategic move could unlock future player extensions and secure draft-day talent.
The Chicago Bears ended up not trading for Las Vegas Raiders star edge rusher Maxx Crosby, in a move that surprised fans.
The Baltimore Ravens won the race for the superstar, sending the Raiders their first-round picks for 2026 and 2027 on Friday night.
All the moves the Bears were making looked aimed at clearing up cap space and stockpiling draft picks for a Crosby trade.
Chicago was first dealt some unfortunate news regarding center Drew Dalman. After one season with the Bears, Dalman retired for personal reasons. His father was an NFL player and coach, and he understands the NFL's impact better than anyone.
Still, the retirement freed up cap space, as Dalman's salary will be forfeited, giving the team $10 million.
General Manager Ryan Poles then sent D.J. Moore and a fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for a second-round pick. That move gave the team $16.5 million in cap space.
The Bears weren't done yet, as they also released linebacker Tremaine Edmunds on the same day, increasing their cap space by $15 million.
After all that, Poles remained firm and didn't trade for Crosby. The Bears haven't been involved with any other big-name edge rushers like Cincinnati Bengals star Trey Hendrickson either this offseason.
Fans may be confused by the decision not to trade for Crosby. The Bears could really use some help at edge rusher. Montez Sweat was really the only bright side that the team had there, with Dayo Odeyingbo underperforming before sustaining a season-ending Achilles injury.
I think not trading for Crosby could be a good thing for the Bears for the foreseeable future, after all is said and done.
When you think about it, the Bears now have some extra cap space that they could use for the future to potentially give extensions to their best players who are still on their rookie deals.
The team will have to pay Caleb Williams, Kyle Monangai, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, Colston Loveland, Ozzy Trapilo and many others at some point. If the Bears don't make any other big moves this offseason, they will have extra money to use when the time comes to give extensions to those players.
Also, we have to remember what Poles said about this year's edge rusher class. Poles stated at the NFL Combine that this draft is much deeper at edge rusher than interior defensive lineman. So, the franchise could be banking on Poles' ability to scout talent and find an edge rusher at the 2026 NFL Draft.
The team also already has another promising edge rusher in Austin Booker.
Plus, there are the potential extensions for Kevin Byard and maybe even Jaquan Brisker. At the end of the day, the Bears need money, and Poles understood that the team couldn't afford to go after a big-name player like Crosby this offseason.
The decision not to go after Crosby not only makes sense for the Bears' future, but it was the right one to make with so many big contract decisions coming up for the franchise.