The Chicago Bears have an opportunity to pull off a third offseason trade that would make the team a legitimate contender in 2025. They can thank the Las Vegas Raiders for getting the ball rolling.
The Bears fortified the interior offensive line this week by trading with the Los Angeles Rams for Jonah Jackson and the Kansas City Chiefs Joe Thuney.
The Cincinnati Bengals put Trey Hendrickson on the trade market on Thursday. The Athletic and a few other outlets think the Hendrickson would be a great fit for the Bears.
The Chicago Bears can thank the Raiders
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk argues that the Bengals put Hendrickson on the market thanks to the Raiders giving star defensive end Maxx Crosby a new deal.
“Applying common sense to the indisputable timeline, it seems obvious that the Bengals’ plan to try to sign Hendrickson changed the moment Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosy re-set the non-quarterback market at $35.5 million per year in new money, with two years of full guarantees and a third year that is, as a practical matter, guaranteed at signing,” Florio wrote.
“It might not be that the Crosby deal made Hendrickson want more. It could be that the Crosby contract made Hendrickson’s prior position — at which the Bengals quite possibly scoffed — more reasonable.
Trading for Trey Hendrickson is one thing, paying for him is another
Hendrickson has more sacks (35) than Crosby (34.5) in the last two seasons. However, the Bengals star pass rusher is set to only make $16 million in 2025.
Crosby’s contract appears to have been the catalyst for the Bengals to place Hendrickson on the market thus giving the Bears a chance to pounce the opportunity to give new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen a dream pass rusher alongside Montez Sweat.
While Chicago can be thankful to the Raiders for Hendrickson coming to market, the sobering reality is that Corsby’s new deal might make any trade for the All-Pro defensive end cost-prohibitive.
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