Amid all of the chaos going on in the Maxx Crosby saga, every Chicago Bears fan has been wondering the same thing: will Ryan Poles throw his name in the hat this time around?
Following the Baltimore Ravens pulling out of a trade which would've landed the Las Vegas Raiders star pass rusher, Crosby could once again be on the move.
One of the other questions Bears fans have had, all along, is whether or not Chicago was indeed in on a Crosby trade from the jump. It made sense. The Bears have had the assets to make it happen. But, that doesn't necessarily mean Poles was interested. Despite any whispers, rumors or reports, it didn't appear the Bears were among the top suitors.
But, The Athletic's Dianna Russini just let the cat out of the bag in her latest segment on the Rich Eisen Show. In explaining the process of how the first trade went down, which supposedly fell apart due to a failed physical, Russini noted Chicago's interest:
"Essentially before teams were trading for Maxx Crosby, teams like the Bears ... they spoke to his doctor. They spoke to the Raiders' medical staff."
The Chicago Bears were, indeed, a top suitor for Maxx Crosby and could be once more
So, the Bears were interested in trading for Crosby. Not only that, but per Russini's intel above, one would be led to believe that the Bears even checked in with the Raiders' medical staff.
Poles didn't just test the waters. He did plenty of homework on Crosby.
That alone should give fans plenty of hope that Chicago could once again be in on a trade for the Raiders star. After wondering whether or not the Bears were a real player, we have our answer. They most certainly were.
Now, this second time around, teams might have a tougher time negotiating with Las Vegas. Because of the failed physical and medical aspects of this, Vegas could see teams asking for a discount, and that prompts a few different sentiments.
First, if the medicals were a real concern, then sure, Crosby should come as a discount. That's obvious.
Then again, the Ravens went out and signed Trey Hendrickson seemingly as a pivot from Crosby. By some accounts, it looked as though Baltimore wanted to keep their draft picks and sign a top-tier pass rusher at the same time. So, they did it.
Were the medicals just a poor excuse to get out of the trade? That's a question we might never know the answer to until we see Crosby back on an NFL field, playing like he never got hurt in the first place.
It's a curious situation all around, and one we might never get much clarity on. This very well might go down as an all-time saga with strong beliefs and opinions on either side that refuse to budge.
Read more: Bears may have seen another Maxx Crosby suitor already exit the picture
In the end, though, we know this to be true: the Bears' interest in Crosby was real. Is it still?