The Bears Should Pass on Trading For Maxx Crosby... Again

Four days ago, the Chicago Bears missed out on Maxx Crosby,whom the Raiders dealt to Baltimore for two first-round picks in 2026 and 2027. Chicago reportedly offered the exact same compensation, but Vegas obviously went with the Ravens' offer since they were picking 11 spots earlier (they own the 14th pick, and the Bears are picking 25th).

However, the Raiders probably wish they had taken their chances with the Bears' offer. NFL insider Ian Rapoport just reported that the Ravens are backing out of the deal.

From the #Raiders: pic.twitter.com/6oMYCOLZfi
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 10, 2026

I bet they're pissed!

The question now becomes what they'll do with Crosby. The Bears didn't add any edge rushers through the first two days of free agency. They could theoretically still reach out and echo their interest in the five-time Pro Bowler.

Would that be a smart decision, though?

While I'd be all for them kicking the tires on it, I don't think they should even consider it if they're not willing to significantly lower their asking price.

I was never a fan of giving up two first-round selections for Crosby. He didn't suddenly become two years younger during his four days as a Raven. He didn't magically reverse the meniscus surgery he underwent last month during his short time in Baltimore.

There's really no sugarcoating this situation.. the Ravens backing out of a set-in-stone deal is a MASSIVE red flag. It indicates they have a legitimate concern that he'll be back to his normal dominant self once he's back on the field.

The Bears should take extreme caution when it comes to this development. They should view him as damaged goods (because that certainly seems to be appropriate at this point). I'm sure he will bounce back strong, but he would need to be relatively the same player that he's been to justify two first-rounders.

The Cowboys received two first-round selections (and Kenny Clark) for Micah Parsons in August. He's not only two years younger, but he also wasn't coming off back-to-back seasons that were cut short due to injury (and subsequent offseason surgery). I know there were injury concerns, but they were ultimately dwarfed in comparison.

On top of all that, you'd have to imagine that the Bears would've needed to add a day two pick on top of the two first-round selections to move them off of the Ravens offer (and I honestly don't even know if that would've done it). It goes without saying that this new development removes that second-round pick from the equation. I also think it should lower the additional first-rounder to a third-round pick.

If the Bears were to acquire Crosby for the 25th pick and their third-rounder next year (or third-rounder this year), then I think that would be fair compensation. It's not like they can mend the relationship at this point, and many of the potential suitors that the Bears would be bidding against already landed pass-rushers via free agency. That would leave Chicago as one of the most logical remaining landing spots.

However, if the Raiders are stubborn about their desired compensation, then the Bears should let the Cowboys (another logical landing spot) overpay for his services.

After all, they have a motivated Dayo Odeyingbo. That's worth like 100 Maxx Crosbys.