I didn’t expect to write about a team reportedly valued at $8.9 billion having money issues, but that is where we are with the Chicago Bears on Friday the 13th.
This tweet (and the accompanying clip) is making the rounds in an eye-opening way:
Adam Schefter basically shut down any Maxx Crosby to the #Bears speculation on ESPN“The Bears don’t have the money to make a move like that right now. They cannot afford it” He called the idea of them finding a way to free up a bunch of money a “fantasy”
— Noah Phalen (@Noahp245) March 13, 2026pic.twitter.com/9NzPWslMju
— Noah Phalen (@Noahp245) March 13, 2026A transcription of the words from Adam Schefter after ESPN teammate Mike Greenberg opines that the Bears are a team to watch in the Maxx Crosby sweepstakes:
“I don’t. The Bears don’t have any more money right now. They’re broke. They’re out of money. I know people love all this and coming up with concoctions, and imaginations, and scenarios where a team like the Bears can come up with a player like Maxx Crosby. Sorry to be a party pooper. The Bears don’t have the type of money to make a move like that right now. They just cannot afford it.”
That ESPN’s Adam Schefter frames this as a cash issue and not a cap issue for the Bears is concerning.
For what it’s worth, General Manager Ryan Poles said the team explored a Crosby deal, but wouldn’t share expanded thoughts beyond that during his Thursday press conference. Poles also remarked about being calculated with the moves he makes because he has an eye on what could be happening down the road. Given what Schefter said in the video clip above and what Poles said on Thursday, it is easy to come away from that segment feeling like the Bears aren’t getting Maxx Crosby because the team doesn’t have the cash on hand to make it happen. That is a splash of cold water to the face.
Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn ImagesAre the Chicago Bears broke?
The Bears have never been known as a team with liquidity. I suppose that is what happens when your family has owned the franchise since seemingly the Middle Ages and doesn’t have any business interests outside the business of football. But still … this is concerning. This team is opening a competitive window with a head coach being paid at the top of the market and a quarterback who could fetch a record-setting extension at this time next year if his trajectory continues.
THE BEARS ARE ALREADY THINKING ABOUT A CALEB WILLIAMS EXTENSION
In other words, this is not a good time to be “broke.” And it certainly isn’t a good time to be perceived as “broke” from the outside looking in. There are bigger fish to fry at Halas Hall right now. However, the perception of being “broke” is the type of thing that 31 other teams would gladly use against another team in free-agent and trade negotiations. Building a competitive team is hard enough. Adding hurdles that teams can use against you won’t make it any easier.
I am not a financial expert, so I cannot definitively say what the Bears should do in order to turn the tide in this conversation. However, I am open to ideas. Perhaps selling a fraction of the franchise can help with the cash flow issues. For what it’s worth, the San Francisco 49ers reportedly sold approximately 6 percent of the team (valued at around $8.5 billion) to a trio of Bay Area families in 2025. Maybe that is a path the McCaskey family can explore. Should they do so, they should move with some pace because this is not the time to drag things out — especially with the stadium issue still very much up in the air.
MORE: Bears Valued at $8.9 Billion After Minority Stake Sale Gets Approval
In the end, this franchise needs ownership to adjust its way of thinking to reflect a more modern approach to doing business. As the NFL’s salary cap continues to grow by leaps and bounds, teams need to have the type of flexibility that will allow front offices to keep up with salaries for players who can be on a contender. I felt like ownership had started changing things for the better when it gave the OK to give Khalil Mack the biggest contract ever to a defensive player. But here we are, eight years later, realizing that this franchise has more to do in order to hang with the big boys.
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