標籤: praise

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, stories and content you may have missed on Monday.

montreal canadiens news

Three of Juraj Slafkowski’s goals on Sunday night came on the power play, but it was really Montreal’s work at 5v5 that should be considered the most encouraging aspect of the win. The Habs swept the Tampa Bay Lightning, and by a wide margin. [Canadiens Playoff Analysis: The Key Statistic From Game One Win]

Slafkowski praised head coach Martin St-Louis for his wise use of timeouts against the Lightning. Rather than wait for another opportunity, or lose it on the time clock, St.-Louis decided to call a timeout at the beginning of overtime, which immediately led to Slafkowski’s game-winning goal.

Juraj “The Wolf” Slafkowski…OT Hero and TNT Postgame Interview 🔥🐺 pic.twitter.com/hfn2XCWV0l

– NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) 20 April 2026

He also noted that Canadiens work as a pack, with each player leading the hunt in the same direction.

Juraj Slafkowski on Habs wolf hat after win:

“Wolves attack together as a big pack and we try to be like that.” pic.twitter.com/d0bJQnJf0I

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) 20 April 2026

Speaking of Slafkovsky, despite excellent work on the powerplay, he was clearly the team’s best player at 5v5. He had more individual high-danger scoring chances at 5v5 (three) than the entire Tampa Bay Lightning lineup (one).

NHL Game Score Impact Card for Montreal Canadiens on 2026-04-19: pic.twitter.com/7Quxe29znP

– hockeystatcards (@hockeystatcards) 20 April 2026

The excitement in practice following the 4-3 overtime win against the Bolts was impeccable.

Above all, don’t change Juraj! 😆 pic.twitter.com/8HAt7kCgjR

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) 20 April 2026

Sportsknot Network

At least by the unpopular demand of fans and media, the 2026 NHL Draft is once again decentralized. The New Jersey Devils retained their first-round selection all year, and have a chance to have an early-round pick. [New Jersey Devils]

It looks like the second verse will be the same as the first verse for the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup. [Pittsburgh Penguins]

It was a successful season for the San Jose Sharks. They improved by 34 points, from 52 to 86 points, and were on top of the playoff race by the final week of the regular season. They established without a doubt that they have a franchise player in Maclin Celebrini. He saw a lot of growth from Will Smith and Sam Dickinson and other young stars like Colin Graf and Michael Misa. [San Jose Sharks]

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

The Los Angeles Rams have been busy since the NFL offseason began last month, and executives from rival teams have been fans of how they’ve adapted to their latest creation for a Super Bowl run.

After falling a bit short of reaching the Big Game earlier this year, the LA Rams brain trust is motivated to finish the story in 2026. And why not? They will bring back most of last year’s roster, including reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford.

However, they must improve if they want to overcome division rivals and defending league champions, the Seattle Seahawks. They did so immediately when they made a blockbuster trade for Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro Trent McDuffie. He also added teammate Jaylen Watson in free agency. His aggressiveness has earned the praise of a rival executive.

“It doesn’t make any difference to me,” the executive said. “If you still think you’re in the window and you have Matt Stafford coming back, you’ve got to do everything you can to try to win it one more time. They still have a first-round pick.”

Exec praises visionary thinking of Los Angeles Rams contract for Trent McDuffie

Additionally, pairing McDuffie with Watson in L.A. especially after working well together in Kansas City drew praise from another NFL decision-maker.

“Corner is a position where even the top guys are hard to be consistent year after year, but I like how aggressive they were,” the executive said. “Their biggest need by far was to have more size in the secondary, to be more competitive. You’re pairing McDuffie with Watson so they can come together, communicate well together, build rapport.”

While some NFL evaluators questioned the LA Rams’ decision to make McDuffie the highest-paid corner in the league ($31 million annual average), another executive felt the price tag was a smart piece of forward thinking and not a bad overpay.

“I know they gave McDuffie a lot of money. But teams that accept where the cap is going and can adjust the percentages rather than have sticker shock are ahead of the game,” that executive said. “They realize that $30 million is going to be (more palatable) because other people will get paid.”

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn wants Geno Smith to have a big season in 2026 and he’s trying to force it into existence with public praise of the quarterback.

In his first season as head coach, Glenn convinced NY Jets fans that free agent addition Justin Fields could finally reach his potential and become a star for Gang Green. Ultimately, the former Chicago Bears first-round pick had the worst season of his career and was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs this month to serve as their new QB2.

In 2026, the coaches will go with another new QB1. This time, it will be former Las Vegas Raiders starter Geno Smith. Unlike Fields, Smith has had success in the league and is a two-time Pro Bowler. However, he is still coming off a season where he went 2-13 and threw a league-leading 17 interceptions. Still, Glenn really wants NY Jets fans to believe that Smith can be a big difference maker next season.

“There’s something about a quarterback with a chip on his shoulder,” Glenn told SNY at an NFL meeting this week. “And he’s proven a lot with what he’s done in this league. Especially when you factor in his time in Seattle. He fits the bill perfectly with what we’re trying to do. We’ve created an identity. The foundation of our offense is great now.”

“… I just feel like he’s the guy that’s going to lead us to the promised land. The guy that’s going to touch the ball more than anybody else. I know he’s had his struggles. A lot of quarterbacks have their struggles.”

Aaron Glenn is entrusting his NY Jets future to Geno Smith

Could 2026 be a comeback season for Smith? It is definitely possible. He was playing behind, arguably, the NFL’s worst offensive line last season, and also has a Comeback Player of the Year award on his resume. However, this would also be an opinion that ignores the obvious.

Before turning his career around with the Seattle Seahawks, Smith was viewed as a draft bust who developed into a journeyman QB in the league. When he won CPOTY honors in 2022, he threw for 30 touchdowns. Since then he has not come even close to that number and last year his number was 19. Additionally, his interceptions have increased from 11 in 2022 to 17 last year.

If the NY Jets were to get Smith a year or two after his big season in 2022, perhaps he could fix the weaknesses of their offense and lead them back to relevance and a playoff run. However, he is four years away from having that career year and will turn 36 in October. An age point when even consistently good QBs start to decline in numbers.

There is far more evidence that Smith will be slightly better than the bad situation he was in 2025, rather than being back to being the player he was in 2022. Glenn is choosing to ignore the obvious, and it’s confusing him. This will likely cost him his job over the next eight months because he is creating expectations that the QB will not make it next season.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

It’s a whole new environment in South Beach following the departure of Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel. The new system, led by GM John-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley, has wasted no time in making its mark on this franchise.

It all started with trimming Tua Tagovailoa from the roster, even though it meant a record-setting $99 million dead cap charge for the 2026 NFL league year. Subsequent moves have been equally notable, with the Dolphins releasing a pair of Pro Bowl players in Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb. They’ve also traded a pair of Pro Bowlers, sending Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Jets for a lottery scratch-off, and getting top value for Jaylen Waddle.

Now, it’s time to rebuild this thing from the ground up. One of the most challenging aspects after moving on from a franchise QB in Tagovailoa was how the Dolphins would find their next solution under center. It didn’t take much time.

The Dolphins signed one of the top free agent quarterbacks available, signing Malik Willis to a three-year, $67.5 million contract with $45 million guaranteed. This decision is sure to be criticized by football critics across the industry. Still, some people liked Miami’s move.

Count out ESPN’s Seth Walder as an NFL analyst who thinks the Dolphins made one of the best signings in free agency this offseason. For a Dolphins team that had no clear path forward at QB, Walder believes Miami got exactly what they needed by taking a chance on the upside that Willis represents.

Certainly, there are obvious potential drawbacks with a quarterback who has made just six starts since arriving as a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Willis is far from a perfect product. Yet the Dolphins, who have two key decision-makers at the helm who were with Willis in Green Bay, are confident in the 26-year-old dual-threat QB’s development into a star in South Beach.

RELATED: Teams keep trying to trade for another Miami Dolphins Pro Bowler

Dedicated NFL copywriter/editor. My work has been found on SportsNut, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, MSN, Yahoo, and Minnesota Sports… More about Andrew Buller-Russ

Winds in the Eastern Conference may begin to blow in a different direction. Throughout the season, the Detroit Pistons have reigned supreme in the Eastern Conference. But the Boston Celtics are going after them with speed and force. On Sunday, the Celtics defeated another former contender, the Cleveland Cavaliers, 109–98 to move to 43–21 on the season and fall just 2.5 games behind the Pistons in the standings.

The Celtics may be peaking at the right time, and what makes this season so outstanding for everyone involved in the franchise is that they managed to hold down the fort and excel despite an injury to Jayson Tatum. Now that Tatum is back, the Celtics may be the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference.

But as much fanfare as Tatum and Jaylen Brown attract for their continued excellence, the Celtics won’t go anywhere without the beating heart of Derrick White, who received such high praise Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson after his altercation on Sunday.

“[He’s] Top-five player in the league,” Atkinson said of White, via the Celtics on CLNS on X. “That’s how we treat him. He really disrupts you defensively, he’s an elite rim protector. Possibly the best guard rim protector in the league. So just take all those things and put it out there and with the shooting, you’ve got a great player.

Kenny Atkinson explains why he thinks Derrick White is a top 5 player in the NBA:

“Maybe what people aren’t measuring is his defensive impact… Analytically I think it’s probably proven in different places that he’s that player and that’s how we treat him.”

“He really hinders… https://t.co/uKwr1QwmVt pic.twitter.com/GDXsc5dXvr

-Celtics on CLNS (@CelticsCLNS) 8 March 2026

The Celtics’ Derrick White is a coach’s dream

Many fans were stunned when White was getting just a few more minutes than Tatum for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But it made sense. He can fit into every lineup. He can defend multiple positions, and he enjoys doing the dirty work. And besides, he’s one of the best volume three-point shooters in the NBA.

“What people probably aren’t measuring is his defensive impact… Analytically I think it’s probably proven in different places that he’s that player and that’s how we treat him,” Atkinson said.

After the Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference clash, Jayson Tatum got props from Donovan Mitchell and James Harden for recovering from his concussions, returning to the field and immediately making a big impact on the game.

“He looks good,” Mitchell said in his postgame interview following the Cavs’ 109–98 loss to the Celtics. “I think naturally there’s some hesitation. I mean, it’s been 300 days. But you can see how he started the game. Even the slow start against Dallas, it just takes a few moves — it could be an Achilles, a groin injury — you just need a few moves to be like, ‘Okay,’ and then you get back at it.”

“But he looks really good for someone [that missed] 10 months. It’s impressive.”

Tatum finished the game with 20 points, three rebounds and two assists to only one turnover in 27 minutes. He started the game by getting to his spot on the drive and finding his way to the free-throw line and, despite a slight cold, finished the day strong in the fourth quarter.

“Getting to your spots, making shots,” said Harden, who acknowledged Tatum before the matchup. “Obviously, it’s important for them to keep them in the mix, but they just do an incredible job of creating advantages; a well-coached team, and they played well today.

“I just told him, you look at a young guy, especially of that caliber, who has had a lot of success and won championships, and then, boom, adversity comes along. That mentality of not letting anything slow him down and stop him, and then he comes back, first game back, he plays well; tonight, he plays well. I think that’s a motivation in itself.”

Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson treated this meeting with the Celtics as if Tatum was fully healthy, admitting that it would be difficult to evaluate where he is now versus where he could be in a month or two in the postseason.

With this result, Boston increased its record to 43–21, and moved closer to the East’s top seed, the suddenly slipping Detroit Pistons. The Celtics added to their lead over Cleveland, now leading by four in the standings.

With Tatum back in the mix, and plenty of firepower around him and Jaylen Brown, there’s no telling how far they can take this. The Cavs will definitely be preparing for this.

“He changes the game,” Evan Mobley said. “He’s a great player. Instead of just focusing more on Brown, you have to focus on both now. It’s definitely a different dynamic, and we’ll be ready for it.”

Harden even said that Cleveland could look to Boston as a prime example of who it should aspire to be in the postseason.

“I told everybody, that’s the standard,” Harden said. “That’s standard. Part of the game of basketball is missing and making shots, but, like, our competitive nature to a game, our competitive spirit — whether we’re making shots or not — that’s what we do. And we forced the game to take over. And I think in the second half, we found something in ourselves.

“Being in my 10th or 11th game here, this is the level we’ve got to get to, Boston. And once we get there – because I know we’re good enough, we’ll get there – then we’ll be a better team. If we’re making shots, we’re going to shut teams out. Tonight we didn’t make shots, and we still gave ourselves chances. So it’s that simple.”

Tyrese Maxey has emerged as a legitimate superstar in the NBA, as the Philadelphia 76ers’ injury problems over the past few years have paved the way for him to take the reigns as the team’s best player. Maxey is trying his best to steady the boat for the 76ers, especially with Joel Embiid and Paul George currently out of action, and at this point, it’s not his fault Philly couldn’t compete on a few nights — including a blowout against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.

Whatever the case, Maxi has earned himself millions of fans with the way he carries a heavy workload every night and remains as productive as ever despite facing all the defensive attention around the world. And it can’t happen a big fan star compared to former 76ers guard and head coach Doug Collins.

“Tyreese Maxey is my favorite player in the NBA. I hope these Philadelphia fans know they have a star of stars. His personality, his performance, his smile, the joy he plays the game with. I think it’s a huge thing for this city of Philadelphia and they’ve got a great sidekick now in VJ Edgecombe,” Collins said during Tuesday’s game against the Spurs, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. Said before the 76ers game.

“Tyrese Maxey is my favorite player in the NBA.”

Doug Collins has high praise for the Sixers’ point guard pic.twitter.com/WZoT8dASj2

– NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) 4 March 2026

76 people are stuck in two timelines

The 76ers worked hard to keep the selection that ultimately became VJ Edgecombe, and now, they have a skilled backcourt to build the team around. The problem, however, is that there remains a lot of uncertainty surrounding Embiid’s health, and George’s drug-related suspension has cast another cloud over the team.

Be that as it may, if Embiid and George are ultimately completely gone, the 76ers can at least have an easier time rebuilding around Maxey and Edgecombe.

As most of the spotlight focuses on 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick becoming the first driver in NASCAR history to win the first three Cup Series races of the season, teammate Bubba Wallace is off to the best start of his career. This is, in part, thanks to their improvements on road routes.

Coming off the Circuit of the Americas, where Wallace finished 11th and was in the top 10 in points earned, driver and 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin recently praised Wallace for his road-course improvements on the latest episode of Action Detrimental.

RELATED: NASCAR Power Rankings after COTA, see where Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin landed

“He should be very proud of his development on the road course. He downplays it quite a bit, you know, ‘I struggle.’ The 10 has a solid, back half now on the road to get the pace and his craft going.

Denny Hamlin on Bubba Wallace’s improvements at road courses

This is coming from the Duramax Texas Grand Prix, where Wallace scored a career-best finish at COTA with an 11th-place result after starting the day 24th. Most impressively, this happened when the No. 23 team played for points in Stage 2 (5 points) and then had to start the final stage after pitting near the back of the field.

Wallace was 24th at one point in the final stages before a restart following a caution with 17 laps remaining. He moved up to 16th with 15 laps to go, 12th with 11 laps to go, and in the final laps he passed William Byron to move up to 11th, just behind Hamlin.

RELATED: Denny Hamlin predicts how Tyler Reddick finishes in the regular season

He has now finished top 15 or better in his last three races on the road course, including an eighth-place finish at Watkins Glen last August. Over the past two years, spanning from the COTA race on March 24, 2024, to March 1, 2026, Wallace’s average finishing position is 16.16.

Keep in mind this also includes the Chicago Street Race last summer where he was 6th with 6 laps to go before getting into it with Alex Bowman and eventually spinning out. Ultimately he finished 28th.

Wallace has become the caliber of driver that Hamlin envisioned when he brought him to 23XI Racing. It shows this season, with Wallace’s improvement on road courses and the fact that he is currently second in points with the third-highest average finishing position (9.7) and second-most laps led (86) in the Cup Series. Redick and Wallace have become 23XI’s top drivers, and the team’s future could be even brighter next season, with top prospect Corey Heim expected to join the team full-time as a replacement for Riley Herbst.

READ MORE: 23XI Racing driver Riley Herbst an option for another Cup team in 2027

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

LOS ANGELES – Former Boston Celtics legend and current Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart has a unique perspective. He is one of 42 players to wear the green and white And Purple and gold in his NBA career. He is one of the few players to play for and against Celtics head coach Joe Majulla.

That potential inside information didn’t help the Lakers when they hosted the Celtics on Sunday afternoon, as Boston left L.A. with an emphatic 111-89 win over its hated rival. However, this helped Smart come to a conclusion that others eventually began to understand as well: Mazzulla is one of the top minds in the association.

“Joe’s a great coach,” Smart said in the locker room before the second meeting of the season between the Celtics and Lakers. “And he’s been on the team, he’s watched these teams in the past, and he’s had a chance to take notes from there and make his adjustments. So, Joe is doing a really good job.”

Before Mazzulla was a head coach winning a ring and multiple 60-plus seasons, he was an assistant coach with the Celtics. And while he was largely unknown in the basketball world before Green became the team’s head coach in 2022, Smart isn’t surprised by what he’s been able to accomplish in Boston, especially this season when the Celtics were expected to struggle without star forward Jayson Tatum.

“I mean, for me personally, I’m not surprised,” Smart said. “They’ve got a lot of great players there. These guys have been playing together for a while… I definitely think they’re doing what I expected them to do, but it’s fun to watch.”

Smart’s comments came shortly after the Celtics continued their winning ways, completing a season sweep of the Lakers for the first time since the 2022–23 campaign (Smart’s final season with the C’s) and holding their historical foes to their worst offensive output of 2026.

After the 22-point win, the Celtics are 37–19 overall, an impressive 19–10 on the road, and in second place in the Eastern Conference. What they’ve been able to do with Tatum’s rehabilitation from a torn Achilles and several starters missing last season is quite impressive.

What JJ Redick had to say about Joe Mazzulla’s ‘phenomenal’ season

Even Lakers head coach JJ Redick said as much, pointing to Mazzulla’s role in the success.

“I think that’s what — there’s a handful of coaches that I think are doing tier-one jobs this year,” Redick said during his pregame press conference. “And whoever is in that group of coaches is really doing a phenomenal job.”

JJ Redick on the job that Joe Mazzulla has done with the Celtics this season:

“I think what is — I think there are some coaches who are doing a tier-one job this year. And Joe is in that group of coaches, he’s really doing a phenomenal job.” pic.twitter.com/1c66auE6A1

– Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) 22 February 2026

While Smart and Redick, whom Mazzulla tried to hire in Boston several times, both share a relationship with the Celtics captain, their admiration is genuine and not tainted by a personal relationship. They’re just two basketball experts who have an understanding of why Mazzulla is a candidate for true Coach of the Year.

But, in Mazzulla’s mind, the Celtics haven’t accomplished much.

When asked how to summarize the Celtics’ 2025–26 season, he said after the game, “The story isn’t done yet.” “We’re just a result of what we do yesterday and what we do the next day…We haven’t done anything. All we’ve done is stick to the process of winning on both ends of the floor.”

Joe Mazzulla asked if he was angry, tired or pleased by the praise the Celtics received for their extreme accomplishments:

“Season’s 82 not 55… You can’t get stuck in what you’ve done in the past, whether it was good or bad.” pic.twitter.com/9lOWZNxzhg

– Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) 22 February 2026

The next chapter in the Celtics’ unfinished story will feature Tuesday night’s showdown with the Phoenix Suns, who in some ways are Boston’s Western Conference counterpart, given their surprising 33-25 record.

As always, Mazzulla will use this matchup as an opportunity to improve regardless of the outcome.

“Don’t overreact to a good win or a bad loss and be better in the next game,” Mazzulla reiterated.

It is a well-known fact that NBA legends Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo have a long-standing rivalry that dates back to the late 2000s, which ultimately resulted in controversy in 2018 when the two played for the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers respectively.

However, sport knows sport, and Paul quickly put aside this long-standing feud when asked about the NBA players with the best attitude on the court.

“When you even say court vision. Rondo, I would say Rondo. Rondo got one of the worst passes ever when he threw a behind-the-back pass into the corner,” Paul said during his appearance on the In Brooklyn podcast at 7 p.m. CP13 just debuted and went into detail about what really set the Rondo apart.

“If you watch sports over the years. You’ll watch teams over the years, you’ll see teams get rebounds, and you can see me being like, ‘Yo, yo, yo, let me get it.’ Rondo was the same way, right. Like, let me get the ball, let me get the ball. It’s because everyone’s like, ‘Oh, he’s got to have the ball.’ It’s like, no. We all have a job to do, I know who I am. I’m not a finisher,” he said.

Some would say similar things about Chris Paul, though the point guard could also score at will during his long time in the league. Nonetheless, both Paul and Rondo fall into the category of truly intelligent players who can control a game on their own regardless of their competition.

Rondo’s exclusion from the 2008 Olympics “Redeem Team” roster, which also included Paul, was seen as an early flashpoint. On the court, the rivalry escalated when Rondo reportedly reminded Paul of Boston’s championship lead during a heated 2009 argument.

However, the largest incident occurred during the 2018 Lakers-Rockets brawl, when a heated exchange turned into a physical fight that involved punches and multiple players.

Of course, Paul’s latest comments indicate that regardless of the incidents, there is immense respect between the two former superstars.

The Boston Celtics started the season with a lot of questions about their ability to compete with the best teams. The injury to Jayson Tatum and the resulting massive turnover of players meant that the Celtics were not even seen as a playoff contender by many.

However, so far they find themselves in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 36–19 record, and the addition of Nikola Vucevic has only improved. His impressive performance also led to some high praise from an unexpected source, with Blake Griffin naming Boston when asked about the team with the fewest weaknesses in the East.

When Blake Griffin was asked @NBAonPrime Pointing to the Celtics on which team in the East has the fewest weaknesses: “That might be the team that has the fewest questions.”

Udonis Haslem feels similarly: “To me, the Boston Celtics have the best habits of any team in the NBA.”

Rudy…

– Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) 20 February 2026

“This might be the team that has the fewest questions,” Griffin said on Amazon Prime, according to a post on X by insider Taylor Snow, with the rest of the crew also naming the Celtics in the segment.

“To me, the Boston Celtics have the best habits of any team in the NBA,” Udonis Haslem claimed, before Rudy Gay explained how Vucevic has single-handedly solved their ‘problems’.

And that praise is also worthy. Despite only playing three games so far, the Montenegrin big man has averaged 15.7 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists, with the Celtics immediately relying on his interior scoring and floor spacing.

Of course, much of the credit for this also goes to Joe Mazzulla. Despite massive changes in personnel, the Celtics have employed the same high-velocity playing style that continues to get results.

With the offensive leadership of Jaylen Brown (29.3 points) and the possibility of Tatum still playing a role at the business end of the season, the Celtics look capable of emerging as title contenders once again. Derrick White and Peyton Pritchard are both averaging 17.2 points per game, and the addition of Vucevic gives this team another offensive outlet and solution in games where they struggle to score from inside, instead relying heavily on distance shooting.

There’s no doubt that this new-look Celtics team is still capable of producing some big results.

There has been a lot of talk about Max Crosby wanting a trade from the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason. Some reports have already claimed the 28-year-old doesn’t ever want to play another snap for the Raiders.

It’s hard to know if that’s true, but there’s enough smoke coming out of Crosby’s ears to believe it. After all, he was reportedly criticized by the team for ruling him out of the final two games due to injury, even though he was adamant that he wanted to play. Some people believe that those enclosures have not been repaired yet.

Just recently, Crosby poured a full tank of gas on Raiders trade rumors involving himself by praising Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams during a one-on-one meeting with the young QB for Crosby’s podcast.

Of course, this might mean nothing, except for the fact that Crosby clearly has a lot of respect for the former No. 1 overall pick. Still, there’s enough for fans to speculate on a potential Crosby trade with the Bears this offseason.

Plus, the Bears could definitely boost their pass-rush department after allowing the fourth-fewest sacks in the NFL in 2025. They have also shown a willingness to be aggressive in upgrading the roster, notably trading for All-Pro guard Joe Thuney last offseason.

Would the Bears be willing to make a strong offer further for Crosby? If so, they’ll likely have to be prepared to give up their first-round pick (No. 25 overall) and then some.

RELATED: Las Vegas Raiders Reported Asking Price in Max Crosby Trade Emerges

Dedicated NFL copywriter/editor. My work has been found on SportsNut, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, MSN, Yahoo, and Minnesota Sports… More about Andrew Buller-Russ