The Baltimore Ravens won the Maxx Crosby race when they traded two 1st round picks to the Las Vegas Raiders for the star pass rusher. Then they got cold feet, saw a better bargain with Trey Hendrickson, and rescinded the trade through a phantom failed physical. Crosby returned to the Raiders and has since stated he’s committed to moving forward with the team, which has made it clear it no longer intends to trade the defensive end. Most believe that the issue is over. Others believe it is only because the market has dried up.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network hinted as much during his recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show. This doesn’t feel like an issue that is over yet.
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles was asked about the Crosby situation. Normally, when something is considered truly in the past, the GM doesn’t mind sharing a few details. In this instance, Poles was unusually tight-lipped. He confirmed that the Bears monitored the situation, spoke to the Raiders, and discussed what a possible deal could look like. Then Poles quickly moved on to other questions.
Rest assured, the Maxx Crosby pursuit is not over.
SM reached out to people close to the situation inside Halas Hall for clarity on what is happening. The team has remained strangely quiet at edge rusher, having spent their free agency dollars at every other defensive position. The response was crystal clear. The Bears have not given up their pursuit of Crosby. They still believe the star is available. Las Vegas’ sudden reversal of stance has nothing to do with a change of heart and more to do with them no longer receiving offers close to what the Ravens gave.
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The truth is Crosby’s return actually hampers the team’s original rebuilding plans. They’d expected to trade him for those picks and a large infusion of cap space to help jumpstart things. Now they have neither. While the Raiders still have cap space to work with, it’s far less than before with Crosby’s $35 million hit back on the books. They also no longer have those picks, which would’ve been incredibly valuable in helping build a new roster foundation. The irony is that this return may have actually hampered their rebuilding efforts more than helped.
That is another reason the Bears and other teams believe the door is far from closed.
The Bears do not feel pressured to get a deal done.
They are content to stay in contact and wait it out, feeling they have some leverage over the Raiders. For one, the market of teams has dropped considerably. Baltimore pivoted to Hendrickson. Dallas traded for Rashan Gary. Carolina signed Jaelan Phillips. Buffalo signed Bradley Chubb. Philadelphia felt like the only legitimate contender left, and even they signed Arnold Ebiketie on Thursday. It feels like Chicago is in the driver’s seat and no longer feels compelled to up their offer to those two 1st rounders, which many felt was too expensive to begin with.
Then there is the other factor.
Those same people in the building stated that Poles and the coaching staff are very high on the incoming 2026 draft class of edge rushers. They feel some really good players will be available to the Bears with that 25th overall pick, as well as the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Odds are favorable that they should be able to find at least one good pass rusher in that range, maybe even two. If Las Vegas isn’t willing to lower its asking price, Chicago doesn’t feel hard-pressed to cave because it has the draft to fall back on.
Don’t be surprised if there is a Maxx Crosby resolution next month.
