Bears Should Push For Maxx Crosby After Ravens Back Out of Trade

There's never a dull moment in the NFL offseason. After swinging a massive trade for Maxx Crosby last week, the Baltimore Ravens have backed out of the deal, citing a failed physical that Crosby took today. He returns to the Las Vegas Raiders, and Baltimore gets its picks back.

It is a medical reason, per @MikeGarafolo. Trades are contingent upon a physical. https://t.co/bo298CE0Gm
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 11, 2026

This is the kind of shocking turn of events that the Chicago Bears ought to take advantage of. The Raiders have already handed out incredible sums of money in free agency, including a historic $81 million, three-year deal to center Tyler Linderbaum. It's not known whether or not they could now fit Crosby back into their salary cap space for the 2026 season. And even if they could, they clearly are ready to move on from the five-time Pro Bowl defensive end.

That means that they may not get nearly as much draft capital should they attempt to trade him again. The Ravens sent two first-round picks to the Raiders, including the No. 14 overall pick of the upcoming 2026 NFL draft. Could the Bears potentially nab Crosby for less?

The Bears are still in great shape to take on a blockbuster trade

The good news is that even with a couple of big free agency agreements, most notably the $30 million, three-year deal with linebacker Devin Bush and the $40 million, three-year deal with safety Coby Bryant, the Bears still have plenty of salary cap flexibility. General manager Ryan Poles has done a fine job of maneuvering his roster over the past few years to the point that now he has less than $1 million in dead cap.

That means that Ryan Poles can easily free up tens of millions of dollars in salary cap space with a few contract restructures. Montez Sweat, Cole Kmet, and Joe Thuney make the most sense for this strategy. Of course, Poles wouldn't want to go that route for anything short of a game-wrecking superstar, but that's exactly what Maxx Crosby is.

The Bottom Line

Yes, it is concerning that Crosby failed his physical. But we don't know the details yet of what exactly that means. And even so, a halfway-healthy Crosby would be Chicago's best pass rusher by far. If the Ravens backing out of the deal does indeed tank Crosby's trade value, then that creates a perfect scenario for the Bears. Two first-round picks may have been too high of a price to pay, but what about a first and a second? Would that be enough to make a deal with Vegas?

If the Bears truly intend to contend for a Super Bowl in 2026, this is the move they need to make, or at least find out what the deal would cost them. If they can swing it, then they need to make it happen fast. The bidding war for the best available pass rusher is back on, and I can bet you my bottom dollar that plenty of NFL general managers are already making calls to Las Vegas.

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