Bears great Olin Kreutz, known as one of the toughest offensive linemen of his time, sounds like he is ready to shove one more rival — but one who should be a teammate.

Kreutz, who starred at center from 1998-2011, is in an ugly back-and-forth with Bears chairman George McCaskey, who essentially called Kreutz a liar in his season-ending news conference.

The spat began when Kreutz, in explaining that Chicago needs to open its wallet to attract the best minds, said the Bears had offered him $15 an hour in 2018 — minimum wage in the city — to work with the team’s offensive linemen.

Kreutz said then-offensive line coach Harry Hiestand and outgoing GM Ryan Pace have confirmed the account. Yet, when McCaskey was asked about the offer Monday, he suggested Kreutz was not being truthful.

“I’ve learned over the years to take just about anything that Olin says with a grain of salt,” McCaskey told reporters while announcing that Pace and head coach Matt Nagy have been fired. “… That’s the way it is sometimes with Olin. You don’t get the whole story. Olin knows what the story is.”

Kreutz, the six-time Bears Pro Bowler — in immediately firing back on Chicago’s 670 The Score — made the disagreement sound personal, saying he and the Bears chairman have have had several run-ins. And McCaskey, a grandson of Bears founder George Halas, should hope there won’t be another.

“If that man would have said that to my face, we would have had a problem,” the 44-year-old said.

Kreutz said he checked with Hiestand and Pace to ensure his account of the story was correct, which is a step he feels McCaskey was unwilling to take.

“What he should have said is, maybe I need to talk to Harry or Ryan about what happened with Olin,” Kreutz said. “Maybe this was a misunderstanding. If he had any respect for me, he would say that.”

Instead, the two are waging the battle publicly, while McCaskey has a head coach and general manager to find. Kreutz wants him to know that he will have to ante up to lure the best coaches.

And he wants McCaskey to know that shrugging off linemen who played 191 games with the Bears sends a message.

“That is an example of why you don’t win in your building because of how you just handled that,” Kreutz said.