As the NFL offseason begins to get underway, the Chicago Bears are one of the more interesting teams around the league.
They've already traded DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills, released Tremaine Edmunds, and dealt for Garrett Bradbury from the New England Patriots after the surprise retirement of 27-year-old Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman.
But one of the more interesting things was something the Bears didn't do, and that was a trade for Maxx Crosby. However, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, they were never actually serious contenders for Crosby despite the two being linked often before his deal.
Bears were never serious suitors for Maxx Crosby
"The Chicago Bears monitored the situation," Fowler writes of Crosby's trade market, "but the sense was they weren't major players in the end."
While the Bears could've been big suitors for Crosby in a trade, with their massive pass rusher need opposite Montez Sweat, they never were serious about pursuing Crosby.
They kept tabs on his availability, but the trade proposals, rumors, and buzz all weren't more than muted interest from Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson.
Considering the price tag he went for, which was two first round picks from the Baltimore Ravens, passing on Crosby wasn't a bad idea.
More: Drew Dalman surprisingly retires at 27 years old after Pro Bowl season
But hearing that the Bears weren't serious contenders for Crosby, a five-time Pro Bowl pass rusher with 69.5 sacks in seven seasons who is 28 years old and under contract for a while on a very affordable deal, is a mild surprise.
If the Bears weren't serious suitors due to the exorbitant asking price, then their lack of pursuit makes sense. The Bears have too many needs to spend so much capital on one player.
They're more than one player away from contending for a Super Bowl in 2026. They're a good team and are close, but allocating so many resources to one player might be a mistake.
More Bears news: