\u201cYou do your best because he\u2019s gonna make it difficult. Yeah, I respect the hell out of him.\u201d<\/p>\n
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CINCINNATI, OH \u2013 DECEMBER 28: Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher walks off the field after the game against the Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals on December 28, 2025, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH. Photo by Ian Johnson\/Icon Sportswire NFL, American Football Herren, USA DEC 28 Cardinals at Bengals EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon251228061<\/p>\n
With the Maxx Crosby-Bears<\/a> rumors already amplifying, that\u2019s something to say. But he isn\u2019t wrong. Johnson just led Chicago to a 31\u201327 win after trailing 21\u20133 at halftime, making the Bears only the fourth team in NFL postseason history to win a game after being down 15 or more points in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n It was far from luck. Johnson flipped the script in the second half, dialing up pressure and forcing Matt LaFleur into a corner. Green Bay<\/a> never really adjusted, and the game slowly slipped away from them.<\/p>\n On its own, this sounds like a veteran defender tipping his cap to a respected coach. But when it\u2019s Crosby saying it, the words\u2019 value take a whole other meaning. Especially in Chicago, where fans are well aware of the uncertainty brewing in Las Vegas. It\u2019s enough to get imaginations running.<\/p>\n And there\u2019s a reason those imaginations go straight to the pass rush. This Bears team looks like a real contender, and it\u2019s hard to poke holes in the roster. Hard, but not impossible. The pressure off the edge still feels like the missing piece.<\/p>\n Chicago sits 22nd in the league in sacks. Montez Sweat and Austin Booker have shown promise with 10 and 4.5 sacks each, but what they don\u2019t have is a true, no-questions-asked rusher off the edge. Crosby is exactly that wherever he plays.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Maybe it\u2019s nothing more than respect between competitors. Or maybe it\u2019s a subtle nod that Bears fans are choosing to hear loud and clear. Either way, it feels like the door has cracked open for Chicago to dream about landing one of the league\u2019s premier pass rushers when the 2026 offseason rolls around.<\/p>\n But what would it take to see Crosby leave the Raiders<\/a>?<\/p>\n How likely is a Crosby-Raiders breakup<\/p>\n To get a real sense of how likely Maxx Crosby is to eventually move on, you have to look at what\u2019s been happening inside the Las Vegas Raiders building and how things slowly reached this point.<\/p>\n It all started in October, after the Raiders were flattened 31\u20130 by the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a>. Not long after that, league chatter picked up that Crosby might be in play ahead of the November 4 trade deadline<\/a>. But that talk didn\u2019t last too long. Not even a day, really. Within hours, NFL insider Tom Pelissero shut it down.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cThe Raiders met with star DE Maxx Crosby today to let him know they aren\u2019t shopping him and won\u2019t trade him. While other teams are interested, the Raiders aren\u2019t interested in moving their best player,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n At the time, that seemed to settle it. But seasons have a way of changing things. Late in the year, the situation took another turn when the Raiders decided to sit Crosby for the final two games, even though he wanted to be out there. That decision didn\u2019t sit well with him. Crosby stepped away from the facility for a few days.<\/p>\n According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, there\u2019s a belief around the league that Las Vegas would at least listen on Crosby \u201cif the relationship remains at an impasse.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s what\u2019s so jarring, because Crosby has never been shy about where he wants to be.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cCome on bro, you know where I want to be. You think I want to be anywhere else? No. I got this s\u2014 tatted on my body. I don\u2019t want to go anywhere. It is just funny. You\u2019ve got a lot of people that have a lot to say when they really don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on,\u201d Crosby said last season.<\/p>\n That loyalty has never really been in question. But relationships can fray, even when both sides insist they want the same thing. If this one doesn\u2019t get patched up, it\u2019s no longer impossible to imagine Crosby playing somewhere else.<\/p>\n Contractually, though, he\u2019s still very much tied to the Raiders. Crosby is 28, and the deal he signed keeps him under team control until he\u2019s 32. During the 2025 offseason, he agreed to a three-year, $106.5 million extension layered on top of his existing four-year, $94 million contract. That extension doesn\u2019t kick in until 2027, which technically locks him into Las Vegas through 2029.<\/p>\n For 2026, Crosby carries a $35.9 million cap hit. That sounds hefty, but the structure matters. If the Raiders chose to move him, the dead money would be just $5 million next year, and the extension is cleanly escapable. In other words, the contract wouldn\u2019t stop a deal. It all depends on whether the relationship between Crosby and the Raiders finds its footing again.<\/p>\n The post Linked to Bears, Maxx Crosby Confirms Stance on Ben Johnson After Public Fallout With Raiders<\/a> appeared first on EssentiallySports<\/a>.<\/p>\n