The New England Patriots, Washington Commanders and Chicago Bears all need help at edge rusher this offseason.
The Bears need a better running mate for Montez Sweat, the Patriots might have to replace K'Lavon Chaisson, who is a pending free agent, and the Commanders need more help along the edge, even if they re-sign Von Miller.
With all that in mind, ESPN's Ben Solak believes the Patriots, Commanders and Bears are potential trade suitors for Las Vegas Raiders five-time Pro Bowler and superstar edge rusher, Maxx Crosby.
The value proposition on Crosby is obvious. One of the league's best three-down defensive linemen, Crosby is an iron man who creates tackles for loss in the running game and can beat even elite offensive tackles in one-on-one pass-rush situations. Crosby will turn 29 before next season and still has two years of guaranteed money on his deal, so he could be the crowning jewel of a contending defense. He had 10 sacks in 2025.
Predicted chance of getting traded: 60%
Potential team fits: Bears, Patriots, Commanders
While we do believe those three teams are logical landing spots for Crosby, it remains to be seen if Las Vegas will actually trade him.
Based on comments made by general manager John Spytek on Tuesday, it's clear the Raiders want to keep Crosby.
"Maxx is an elite player, and I've been very upfront from the start when I got here that we're in the business of having really good players on the team and we need a lot more of them," Spytek said.
"I do," Spytek replied when asked if he envisions Crosby being on the team in 2026.
But Crosby could want out after enduring a career full of losing and dysfunction in Las Vegas. If so, the Raiders will oblige and will likely work with Crosby to send him where he wants to go, which will be to a Super Bowl contender.
The Patriots check that box the best out of the three teams Solak mentions, and it has been reported that Crosby would like to play for head coach Mike Vrabel, a sentiment shared by many players around the NFL.
New England also has the cap space to take on Crosby's contract and the draft capital necessary to get a deal done.
The Commanders have the cap space to absorb Crosby's big contract, but they are armed with only six picks in this year's draft, which is less than ideal when you consider it will take at least one first-round pick to acquire Crosby, and quite possibly two.
The Bears have the worst financial situation out of the three teams and sport just one more draft pick than Washington in 2026.
While the Bears and Commanders aren't in a great spot, Crosby is the kind of player you make a sacrifice for and we don't think that would stop either from pursuing the Raiders superstar.
If we had to rank the three teams from most to least likely to trade for Crosby, it would be the Patriots, Commanders and then the Bears.
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