Last summer, general manager Brian Gutekunst and the Green Bay Packers took a massive swing, acquiring All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons in a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Cowboys.
Ahead of the new league year getting underway, the Packers’ bitter division rival, the Chicago Bears may be about to borrow a chapter from Gutekunst’s and Green Bay’s playbook.
Packers’ division rival trending towards trading for Maxx Crosby
Dec 8, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) celebrates after a sack against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the Bears could be on the cusp of trading for Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
“We should know soon enough which path the Raiders are taking, with teams like Dallas, Chicago, Baltimore, Buffalo, New England, Philadelphia and the Rams keeping tabs on his availability,” Breer writes for SI.
Meanwhile, the Bears are now the betting-line favorite to land Crosby.
Chicago wound up winning the NFC North last season, but the Packers were in the driver’s seat for much of the season thanks in large part to Parsons’ dominance along the front seven.
Before tearing his ACL in Week 14, Parsons posted 12.5 sacks and seemed to elevate the ceiling on the Packers’ entire season.
It is clear that the Bears are hoping to find similar success in landing Crosby, which would make it all the more difficult for the Packers to retake the division next season and only intensify one of the NFL’s more bitter rivalries.
Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) and linebacker Quay Walker (7) pressure Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson (1) on Sunday, December 7, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers defeated the Bears 28-21.
Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin