Bear Digest

Bears Insider Reveals How Much Chicago May Value Potential Maxx Crosby Trade

Trading for an elite pass rusher never comes cheap. Where does Ryan Poles draw the line?
Pete Martuneac|
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Chicago Bears

For the first time in a long time, the Chicago Bears seem to be in a place where they can consider splashy trades for impact players. After clinching the 2025 NFC North championship in Ben Johnson's first year as head coach and coming within one completed pass of a trip to the NFC Championship game, an argument could be made that the Bears are one or two pieces away from a Super Bowl run.

To be more specific, the consensus amongst fans and analysts alike is that if the Bears had a consistent pass rush, they would be a true title contender. That's why the Bears are frequently linked to potential trades for elite pass rushers stuck on teams going nowhere. Myles Garrett's name has been floated, but the Cleveland Browns have never shown any interest in dealing the new single-season sack record holder.

On the other hand, Las Vegas' Maxx Crosby has been linked to the Bears in a hypothetical trade many times, and that could be doable. Crosby has expressed deep dissatisfaction with his situation ever since the Raiders shut him down at the end of the 2025 season. With the Raiders entering yet another rebuild and Crosby set to turn 29 this season, they may prefer to stock their war chest with valuable picks over an aging veteran.

Would the Bears actually make a deal for the five-time Pro Bowler? Brad Biggs, a longtime Bears insider who has covered the team for the Chicago Tribune since 2009, threw some cold water on a potential Maxx Crosby trade in his weekly "Chicago Bears Q&A" article. "My intuition is that general manager Ryan Poles would have a hard time bundling two first-round draft picks, or something close to that, to acquire Crosby," Biggs writes. "If the price is lower, then it would be an intriguing option."

Maxx Crosby's value is likely too rich for Ryan Poles

For those who don't know, nobody in the Chicago media orbit has their finger more squarely on the pulse of the Chicago Bears than Brad Biggs. His intuitions on what the Bears will or won't do are generally correct. If he has doubts that the Bears would put together a package of two first-round picks for Crosby, then it's probably not going to happen.

He did throw disappointed Bears fans a bone by suggesting that Poles might make a trade for lesser value, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. Las Vegas may be open to trading Crosby, but they won't sell his services cheaply. In my opinion, a pair of first-round picks would be the starting point of any negotiation, especially when Chicago's pick in the 2026 NFL draft is No. 25, and their pick in 2027 could be even further back.

The Bottom Line

There's a chance that Poles will face internal pressure from team president Kevin Warren, who has spoken of winning multiple championships ever since he arrived in Chicago, to strike while the iron is hot. In that scenario, I could see Poles sending away a pair of first-round picks for Crosby. His No. 25 overall pick in the upcoming draft is almost a second rounder, anyway.

That doesn't feel like something Warren would do, however. Poles is in charge of this team, and I don't expect him to mortgage his future on one player, especially when we just watched this kind of blockbuster deal go so poorly for a hated division rival. I think Poles will keep his picks and try to draft his own Maxx Crosby.

Maxx Crosb
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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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