Maxx Crosby defensive end Las Vegas Raiders
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 04: Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders looks on prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)
The Maxx Crosby saga feels like an unending set of rumors about what the Las Vegas Raiders will decide to do with their two-time All-Pro superstar edge rusher after a trade to the Baltimore Ravens fell through.
After it was reported by Albert Breer that Crosby still could be traded – despite the Raiders’ apparent new stance of being content to keep the former fourth round draft pick – but that if it was to happen it would have to be nearer the trade deadline, and certainly after the season has started, the Crosby to Chicago chatter started up again.
And now it seems like Bears fans have been given yet another piece of positive news to legitimize the reality of their dream to land one of the elite pass rushers in football.
Maxx Crosby Trade ‘When’ Not ‘If’
Kimberly A. Martin, speaking on ESPN’s ‘Get Up’, noted that she people inside the NFL believe that Crosby will be moved this offseason. Indeed, she went so far as to report that her sources note that it is not even a matter of “if” he is traded, but “when” the trade gets done.
“It’s a matter of – the big question is when it doesn’t seem like if he’ll get traded. Because even though the raiders said “Maxx is a Raider”, guess what they did – they traded Maxx Crosby.” Martin said on Get Up.
Martin notes that as the Raiders’ offseason roster planning was done with the belief that Crosby would no longer be with the organization, it would also be in their interest to move their star edge rusher in order to maintain the structure of said plan.
“And they also traded him and then made a bunch of moves, spent a lot of money to upgrade the roster with certain pieces thinking that maxx crosby was off the books. We have a long offseason, it could go until the trade deadline, it could go until the draft. But a lot of people expect him to not be a Raider for much longer.”
What Would it Take for Chiago to Obtain Maxx Crosby?
Perhaps a better question is, “how much do the Bears really want Maxx Crosby”. Ultimately the team that gets ‘Mad Maxx’ will be the franchise that puts up the most enticing offer.
Whilst the Bears don’t have as strong a draft pick as the Ravens or Cowboys, although it seems as if neither will be the ones to eventually acquire Crosby’s services, they do have an extra second round pick from the D.J. Moore trade that can be used to pad any offer.
The absolute highest bar is the equivalent of the 14th overall pick and a 1st round pick in 2027. That deal would force Chicago to give up their first (#25) , second (#57) and and fourth (#129) rounders in 2026, along with a first in 2027 to make the trade happen.
But, if as expected the price has now severely diminished, the Bears could manage to get some reasonable discount. It is likely that #25 in 2026 and a first rounder in 2027 could push the deal over the line.