With the 2026 NFL offseason about to get underway, the Chicago Bears will have some decisions to make about how they want to improve even further upon an impressive 2025 season.
After beginning the year viewed as a fringe playoff contender, the Bears shattered the expectations. They not only made the playoffs, but they earned the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff picture and also won the NFC North division title.
In the Wild Card round of the playoffs, Chicago was able to overcome a 21-3 halftime deficit to eliminate the arch-rival Green Bay Packers. Now, the Bears appear to be a team ready to be a factor in the NFC for years to come.
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Led by head coach Ben Johnson and rising star quarterback Caleb Williams, the future looks very bright in Chicago. Ryan Poles will be tasked with putting together another strong offseason to take the Bears into serious Super Bowl contention in 2026.
Keeping that in mind, there have been a lot of rumors swirling around about Chicago. One of the most talked about rumors has had to do with a potential trade for Las Vegas Raiders superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby.
Crosby and the Raiders do not seem to be on the best of terms. He has been widely talked about as an offseason trade candidate.
While the Bears could make sense as a potential landing spot for him, one team insider threw cold water on the idea. That insider was none other than ESPN Chicago’s Courtney Cronin.
"I don't know if the Bears view themselves as, ‘We are just one elite pass rusher away from winning a Super Bowl,' when the draft class is as loaded with defensive talent as it is," Cronin said on February 19.
"Because that would be a very expensive cost, because not only in Barnwell's piece, he predicted that they'd have to give up their 2026 first-round pick to get Maxx Crosby, and DJ Moore would be going to the Raiders, and then I believe it was a fifth-round pick in '27 coming back."
At the end of the day, Chicago will have to make a decision on whether or not it thinks Crosby can be the piece that powers a championship run. He’s one of the best defensive players in football.
During the 2025 NFL season with Las Vegas, the 28-year-old defensive end played in 15 games and racked up 73 total tackles, 10 sacks, two forced fumbles, an interception, and six defended passes. In his seven-year NFL career, Crosby has totaled 439 tackles, 69.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, an interception, and 29 defended passes.
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