Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Adam Hoge: Bears could pull off 'double splash' move for Tyler Linderbaum, Maxx Crosby

Episode Date: March 6, 2026

Leila Rahimi and Mark Grote were joined by CHGO host Adam Hoge to discuss the latest Bears storylines, including their trade of receiver DJ Moore to the Bills and their release of veteran linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. He also discussed what lies ahead for the Bears with NFL free agency opening next week.

This hour is brought to you by Vesectomy Clinics of Chicago. Adam Hogg says. Adam Hogue, Bears Insider. What's up, everyone? My name's Adam Hogue. Host of the Hogan John's podcast. What I like about this coachies staff, it's like the 100 guys in a bar theory.

But 100 guys in the bar are all screaming the same thing. They usually means that they're on something, even if it's 100 guys in a bar. Like, that's what I think about this with Colson Lovell. And so snap counts go up. John Zee, it is that time for, Another high draft pick, Luther Burt it. Adam Hogue.

Adam Hogi or Hogg, excuse me, I don't know how to pronounce the last name. With Rahimi Harrison Grotie on Chicago Sports Radio, 1043 to score. Because football season never ends, I love to hear until I collapse. Adam Hogue's favorite song to get motivated as well on a Friday. And it continues today here on Rahimi Harrison Grotie on 1043, The Score. He joins us on our hotline and on Twitch, Twitch. the score Chicago. Adam, Trayne Edmonds is gone.

Drew Dalman is gone. DG Moore is gone. How are you with all of this information? I think the Bears are operating like a contending team that has to make tough decisions. You know, I think you, when you look at Tremaine Edmins, this one was pretty predictable. I thought from the start, you just look at an aging linebacker who's making a lot of money. and you know, you can clear some of that from your books by going cheaper. And I think there's some other options out there, some with ties to Dennis Allen and Ben Johnson,

and you can look at. And then I think with DJ Moore, you know, this is a result of drafting best player available. And that's what I think smart teams do. And a lot of teams say they do it. And then they don't really do it. But when we went into the draft last year, I don't think many of us thought that the two, you know, the first two picks would be Colson Loveland and Luther Burden. But they were. And that gave the Ben Johnson a bunch of weapons to work with. And I think that that all of a sudden made DJ more expendable when you looked at the fact that they could save $16.7 million against the cap by moving him. I thought the question there was what they could actually get for him.

And the Buffalo bill showed that you can get quite a lot for him because I was not even when we found out about the trade yesterday, I was not expecting the second round pick to come back for DJ Moore. So, you know, these are decisions and situations you get in once you start getting into. a contending window. And I don't think you can fault the bears for anything that they've done so far. The curb ball, of course, was Drew Dalman retiring. And that's, you know, sort of the thing that they're navigating to try to create some extra room to address that problem. I, too, was very pleased with the second rounder. Take that and run and make the deal.

That is perfect. I was, it please you. It pleases me greatly. What? I was on Buffalo radio today, Hogue, and they were kind of like in, you got to sell us on DJ Moore. They're just a little bit skeptical. How do you characterize his legacy with the Bears and just DJ Moore the player? You know, I think DJ Moore is a really good player. And I think, you know, I go back with him all the way to when I was still doing sidelines for Northwestern. And I covered a game where we were at Maryland and DJ went off in that game. I don't remember the numbers off top of his head, but I think it was like three touchdowns and over 200 yards receiving. I always thought he was underrated even coming out. And I think that, you know, he's a very

valuable player if you put him in the right position. Is he a true number one dominant wide receiver? No, because you got to manufacture some touches for him. He's very good with the ball once it's in his hands. And I think he's got some sneaky ability to blow the top off the defense too. But some of those intermediate routes, you know, I always wish sometimes that he would be the guy in the slot that would run some of those option routes. And that's just apparently not really his game. And so I think that does limit him in his route tree just a little bit. But I love the fit for him in Buffalo. I really do. I think that, you know, he's exactly what the bills have been lacking at times. he's not going to be a problem there.

I also feel really happy for him that he's not going to a place like the Raiders where he was going to start over with a rookie quarterback once again. He gets to go play with one of the best in Josh Allen. So I think it's a really good fit for DJ Moore. I think it's a really good fit for that offense. Joe Brady, who's had DJ Moore in the past two. I think that's a very relevant note when it comes to that fit.

24 and a half million dollar cap hit, though? I mean, that's the part I'm still kind of struggling with that if I was in Buffalo, you know, trying to digest this trade, I think that's the part with this contract that is a little hard to swallow. And I know part of the deal, too, extra money became guaranteed. I think what, going into 2028 now. So, you know, you're locked in for about two and a half years there in terms of cap space. And I have a feeling he'll be a really good player for the bills,

but one that they're still feeling uneasy about, you know, is he worth what he's taking? up in the cap up there in Buffalo. Well, and we brought up the playoffs, Adam, when it came to the bill side of this. They only beat the Jaguars by three. They had to come back in that game. And then there was the emotional overtime loss to the Broncos where you've got players tearing up in the locker room afterward and how much that must have sat with them

knowing they've got a lot of cracks at this. And they haven't gotten as close as they wanted. And perhaps this was a trade that truly because of the value in the second rounder coming back may have satisfied all parties. Yeah, and I think we're going to find out a lot about Joe Brady here really quickly. You know, it was a fascinating, very risky move that they made because with all that emotion that you're talking about, Leila, I mean, to let Sean McDermick go, you know, I talked to some coaches down in Indy last week that are still like flabbergasted by that move and just feel like, you know, he deserved better. at the same time I can also see why the bills are like, look, we can't just keep running this back and wasting opportunities here with one of the best quarterbacks in the league in his prime. So give him an offensive head coach, give him a few more weapons.

And like I said, I think DJ is going to be a really good fit. I always like watching the bills to begin with. I'm selfishly happy that they're kind of going down this road just from an entertainment standpoint because I think the bills are going to be one of the more interesting teams. the league next season. We also have some news regarding a former Illini. I. All right. I and I.

Thank you. New England reached agreement today. You had to, Adam. You had to. According to Adam Schaefter guys, New England reached agreement today with quarterback Tommy DeVito. Hey. On a two-year, seven and a half million dollar deal, 7.4.

That includes $2 million guaranteed per his agent, Sean. Stalado who got a lot of FaceTime whenever Tommy DeVito broke out onto the scene for New York, if you recall. So I guess Tyson Bayesian is safe then. I guess. That is he? I don't, I mean,

fairer question. What do you think, Adam? You know, I think the Bears are handling this properly with Bayesian. You know, I think he has value out there. But if you were the Bears,

he's still got a lot of value to you as well, like to this team. And so you, you don't give them away for nothing. I'm holding firm on the idea that if you can get a second round pick for Tyson, Bejit, I would make that move. But anything less than that. Backup quarterbacks are too important. And I also think that Bejant,

this is more my own personal opinion on him as a quarterback. There's backups that you can survive with for like a month if they have to play in a pinch. But otherwise, if it's more than that, your season's probably over anyway. Then there's backups. But then there's backups like Nick Foles who, you know, with the Eagles that actually I feel like you can win some playoff games with. And I got to say, like with what I've seen from Bejant and the fit with Ben Johnson,

I lean more towards Bejant being that, you know, that second option I brought up, which I don't know if catastrophe struck the quarterback position, which none of us ever want to talk about, right? But you've got to be prepared for it if you're Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson, that the season would be over with Baygent going out there. I think you would still have a chance. I mean, obviously your chances go down, but I think you'd have a chance.

Whereas if you move on from Bejan and you're running somebody else out there, more than likely, you know, your season would be over in that situation. You'd be looking at more like a guy who could just squeeze out a few games with and survive with. So I think that's the value that Bejan has for you. And by the way, the other part of this, I don't know that we talk enough about it. Like, I don't think Tyson Bayesian really wants to go anywhere. Now, if it's a perfect fit where he knows he can start and, you know,

being a good position to have success, great. But I don't, if you're Tyson-Bajun, you want to spend one more year with Ben Johnson increasing your value, learning more about the game of football with one of the best offensive minds and getting better at the position, or do you want to go waste away in New York with a defensive head coach, you know, and Aaron Glenn and the Jets? Like, I think that's a no-brainer if you're Tyson-Bajuner to stay. in Chicago. So I think that's part of this too. His bro-dad, Ben Johnson?

Yeah. Well, and I would say, guys, I would say before Ben Johnson, I would not have agreed with what you're indicating, Adam, and that is that the Bears could still be sustainable if they were to lose Caleb Williams, just because of the arm strength and too many balls that were

floated down the middle that I saw from Tyson Baygent, where I was like, too many what felt like jump balls for everybody. But with Ben Johnson, that definitely changes the trajectory a little bit. As we talked to Adam Hogue here of CHGO and of Hogan Johns on Rahimi, Harrison Grotty on the score. So, Hogue, here we are with the bears having suddenly cap space and about $45 million

in cap space. My question to you is we all know the big players, the big splash guys out there. What splash or splash is do you think, are realistic to think that the bears are going to make? Do they have to like, is there only going to be one splash at one position and the rest is sort of fill in with the rank and file players out there? Well, first of all, I'm already on record saying it is possible to do the double splash with Tyler Linderbaum and Max Crosby. And, you know, I think now that once you saw the move last night with Tremens and you realize how much cap space they had created with just a few moves, you kind of realize how flexible this thing can be. Now, I'm not saying that's what's going to happen. I'm just saying it can happen.

You can make that work. I would tend to believe that only one of those moves would happen. And then the smaller ones would be like, you know, say signing like an Alex Anzolone at linebacker to replace Tremaine Edmins, who's a, you know, an older veteran, but has ties to both Dennis Allen in New Orleans and also Ben Johnson and Detroit. Like that's a name I would keep an eye on, you know, just as a cheaper option at linebacker.

But let's follow some breadcrumbs here. Let's like, let's back up a year, right? So Ben Johnson comes in here. And what first thing that they do that they address right away is the interior of that offensive line. They go out and they trade for the best, in my opinion, the best guard in the game of Joe Tuny. Right. Then they go get a guy that Ben Johnson was very familiar with and Jonah Jackson was probably underrated and he delivered this year. Then they went out and they signed the number one center on the free agent market and Drew Dalman.

And we have a ton of evidence that we just witnessed in a really fun football season. of how much of a difference that made for the Chicago Bears and how much their identity changed up front, how much all of that mattered. And then, stunningly, Drew Dalman retires the other day. So in following these breadcrumbs, and I would also throw in what happened in Detroit this past year, right? Not only do they lose Ben Johnson,

but they lose Frank Ragnow. They try to go younger at their guard positions. And statistically, if you're just to pull up the lion's offensive stats, it doesn't look like they took that big of a dip losing Ben Johnson. You turn it on the tape, you watch their actual season, and you realize they lost a lot of that physicality and that identity and crucial moments of football games, which is why they missed the playoffs.

So adding all that up, I'll ask you guys this. Do you think they're going to go cheap at center? They can't. Are you kidding? The first thing I thought when they traded DJ Moore was that they were going to get Tyler Linderbombe. Yeah, that's me wish casting.

I'm okay with it. They also did their homework on Tyler Biotish the other day. he signed with a different team. Like I'm just adding all this up, trying to use my own logic and covering this football team, you know, especially in the past year, but even beyond that. And I just, I'm not saying they're going to get Tyler Linderbaum

because he's a free agent. He can sign with whoever he wants, right? But I'll be shocked if they don't make a big run at him. And by the way, if you're Tyler Linderbom and you're looking at your options out there, aren't the Bears pretty appealing right now? Isn't this offensive line and Caleb Williams and playing for Ben Johnson?

if you're leaving the Baltimore Ravens, which has been a great place to be drafted and developed and play, very physical brand of football they play. And you're saying, oh, I hit free agency. They didn't give me my fifth year option. I have the, what are your options out there?

To me, the bears in this offense would make a lot of sense. So that's just me following the breadcrumbs with all of this going on. I certainly won't be surprised if they spend big on Tyler Linderbaum, even though it's going to be more expensive than Drew Dolman. I also think he's slightly better than Drew Dolman too. So he could be an upgrade. I mean, he's more mobile.

You know, that's always kind of been a signature of his as well. Adam, I would like to point this out that we followed up a conversation with you to our listeners where Marshall Harris had talked to you about breadcrumbing. Do you remember that from a couple weeks ago? Yes, I do, actually. Different from following the breadcrumbs. And then I pointed out that Adam Hogue would never breadcrums somebody. You wouldn't do that.

But then I just did. No, you followed breadcrumbs. It's a different deal. entire. Oh, okay. It's different. It's a newer type of thing is what that is.

It's basically like leading somebody on with the least. You would never. Happily married man, father. Adam Hogue wouldn't do that type of thing.

We know your character. So for the listener, just for the record, difference between following the breadcrumbs and our previous conversation about the act of breadcrumming is a dating term for Adam Hogue.

Got it. Well, it's been a long time. Yeah, I've been happily married for 13 years and with my wife for, I think, 18. So I don't even dating is, I don't even know what the kids do anymore.

Hogue would never. It's all online, man. It's a ridiculous world out here that we live in. I could go down a road of, this was a long time ago, but like going through Kevin Fishbane's dating apps back in Burbine, again, like this was a long time too, just being fascinated by like, what is this thing even? I don't understand what's happening. Oh, the possibilities are endless, I tell you.

But what about, what about safety? What about that? What about that? Just to get us out of this. Kevin. We would have gotten out of it. I was just trying to point out the difference because Ray and I were laughing at the coincidence of the term being brought up in two different ways.

I don't want a Hogue's wife like here. Why were you talking about dating today, honey? I mean, I don't want to get him in trouble. Because Hogue would never do that. I know he would. But you know how the world works? You know, they could take one little piece of what we're talking about here. So, yeah.

We have taped, though. Yeah. Well, I know, yeah. Sorry, Adam. Yeah, the full perspective is there. I'm going to hit the eject button. Seriously, though. Like, are the chances of either Byrd or Brisker coming back better now as well? Or do you think Byrd was always going to come back or Brisker?

We don't hear much about Brisker anymore, it feels like. Well, okay, let's start with Brisker because I heard last week and Andy got no indication that the bears were going to bring. him back. And there seems to be an assumption, you know, just in in NFL circles right now that he is going to be elsewhere. And I don't think that really surprises anybody. Now, I don't want to shut the door completely because I do think that there's questions about what his market would actually be out there, just given the concussion and the health history. So, you know, if he goes out there, he tests the market, it turns out that he's not in the first wave of free agency, maybe not even in the second wave of free agency. And all of a sudden, he's still sitting there at a really, you know,

affordable place and the bears are still weighing you know, what they're going to do at safety. That's why I'm not completely closing the door, but sure all science points to Bristker being elsewhere. Now, the Bayard thing I think is interesting because

I think there's the opposite of that. The assumption is, you know, especially when you have the GM on record saying he wants to bring him back and the player on record saying he wants to come back, which he did when we talked to him in San Francisco at the Super Bowl, You know, you would think that they would come to an agreement.

Now, Johns and I reported, you know, in our post-combine piece on Monday that the market for him, it seems to be like between $8, $10 million a year. That certainly seemed doable. All these other moving pieces, though, right? The Drew Dalman thing, like you wonder, does that impact that a little bit? You know, I think it could, but, you know, they don't have any safety signed right now. You got to have somebody. I just think you already lost one big leader on your defense in Tremaine Edmonds.

To lose another one in Kevin Byard, I think would be rough. So my guess is they still find a way to make that work despite, you know, all these moving pieces that are going on right now. Adam, do you think that somebody else may be next when it comes to the Bears attrition here, you know, the savage offseason that's happening in a way where there have to be these business decisions made? Well, look, look, there's certainly other guys that you could look at, logically just looking at their contracts.

I think the obvious ones are gone, though, already. Like, Tremaine seemed to be like an obvious cut. DJ, if you could actually move that contract, seem like, okay, yeah, you got to do that. And obviously the bill stepped up and made that more than doable. So that became kind of a no-brainer as well. You know, I think I realize why Cole Komet's name comes up. I just really don't think that they're,

interested in losing Cole Comed at all. I think Ben Johnson loves Cole Comed. I think he's too important to the run game. He's proven time and time again. He can still step up and make big catches like he did in the playoff game to go to overtime. So I just think he's too valuable and he's also a leader in that locker room. So I have been given no indication that that's a possibility. Now, do they try to extend him and move that cap number around? That's certainly a possibility. And then when it comes to DeAndre Swift, I look at that similarly. with the one exception of, you know, sometimes guys get released or moved after the draft. Like, don't forget about that wave of free agency and roster movement as well.

And the reason for that would be you draft somebody. When the Bears drafted Kevin Jenkins, all of a sudden, they released Charles Leno that following Monday. So those things can happen sometimes. And I just, I think DeAndre Swift will be a bear this coming season. but you do look at that contract and you realize they could save more cap space if they were to move on from him. I think the only scenario that they would do that, though,

would be if they end up drafting a running back, maybe the guy that Ben Johnson just loves false to them in the second round with one of these two picks now that they have, and then all of a sudden that allows you to spring somebody lose. Again, I'm not predicting that. Those are the types of things you've got to keep in mind because it's not like all these moves happen in the next two weeks here in March. Sometimes they happen post-draft as well.

Spring to All Feels with Adam Hogue. Thank you for your patience and your information. All right, guys. Always love talking. Have a great day. Tell Karm, I said hi. Aw, Karm. Thanks, Adam.

That was Adam Hogue. He is on the CHGO Bears podcast and the Hogan John's podcast. You can check both of those out. And yes, Mark Kermann is a part of that coverage. Loves of Tyson-Bajun. You know his Baygent alert meter went off when we were talking about Tyson-Bajun. He is the foremost authority. Do you know that about Mark Carmen?

He has an internal antenna. I know he does report on Bejant quite a bit. They've had him on their shows. They're best, like, they're friends. I love Tyson. It's no secret. That's not Mark Carman. The Carm and the Bejant, they have a mutual bromance.

It's not one way. It's not just Carm adoring Bejant. It goes, and I get it. I adore Carm too. Seems that old Tyson Bayton has a lot of bromances when you consider how Ben Johnson talks about him. Bro burpees. Burpee bro. Burpees are good for you.

They suck, but they're good for you. Flat out burpees. That's what they are. Suffer. Love a burpee. Build a bond through suffering through burpees. Love it. Love it all.

Love it Tyson Bejit. Love a grohie. Love her hemi. We love Karm too. Love a Boutherbaugh. Love you, Karm. We do love Karm. And same thing.

Karm would not bread Karp, bread, Kram isn't that dude. No, he is not that dude. He has a, he's in a very loving relationship as well. See, that's my point. Just like Animal Hog.

It's really just about me shouting out people's character right now. It was just getting a little uncomfortable in that little segment there. I was just trying to point out that Hogue talking about following bread crumbs is not the same as breadcrumming because that was the previous convo.

Because Ray and I both did the same thing, our ears perked up. That's hilarious. There's a clarification and then a compliment to Adam Hogue. You got it, Ray, huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Adam Hogue would never. That's right, man. Hogue, we believe in you, man. You're a good man and thorough. See, is that taking it too far? All right, let's go to a commercial break before we get in trouble here on the score. I was too busy grinding my absolute face off.

I love Tyson.