Eight years ago, the Chicago Bears pulled off a blockbuster trade that shook the entire fan base. The Bears, of all teams, snagged pass rusher Khalil Mack from the Raiders. And thus, one of the more memorable seasons in franchise history began.
Fast forward to the present day, and we're looking at an eerily similar situation between ... the Bears and the Raiders. Star pass rusher Maxx Crosby has been in trade whispers for quite a while now, and just recently, things have escalated.
Per Draft Kings Sports Book, Crosby's next team odds have none other than the Bears listed at no. 1. Chicago currently sits with +200 odds with the next closest being Crosby staying put in Las Vegas (+350).
Ryan Poles could repeat Bears history with a blockbuster Maxx Crosby trade
For those who might not put too much stock into betting odds, let's go back in time once again.
Two weeks before the Bears traded for Mack, back in 2018, Chicago's odds soared to being second-best (behind the Green Bay Packers, funny enough).
You simply cannot make this stuff up. The Raiders and the Bears, once again ... this would be something.
One of the major differences, though, is that the Bears now have the head coach and quarterback in place. When they traded for Mack, it was Matt Nagy and Mitchell Trubisky.
We know how that turned out.
Now, with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams, Crosby is truly viewed as what would be the missing piece. Offensively, the Bears are set for a while with Williams and his group of playmakers. Johnson is here for the long haul, too.
Everybody knows the Bears' top priority this offseason is to fix the defensive line. Last year, it was the offensive line. And, you know what they did? They went out and spent a ton of capital to fix the offensive line.
So, is it really all that crazy to think Poles would do the same, this offseason, but for the opposite side of the ball?
If Crosby is truly available, then there is no reason why Poles wouldn't do everything he possibly could to land him. There's also very little reason for the Raiders to hang onto a player who is set to turn 29 years old in August when they're in a full-on rebuild.
If you put Crosby on this Bears defense and add a few other pieces via free agency or the draft, then the Bears are instant Super Bowl contenders.
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This could be more than history repeating itself. This could be the Bears finally putting everything together for the first time since that beautiful 1985 season.