The Maxx Crosby drama earlier this year was a fascinating tale that would’ve entranced award-winning scriptwriters. A star pass rusher who’d given his body and soul to a terrible organization for almost a decade accepts that they’re entering another rebuild. Trade chatter builds rapidly. Several teams, including the Chicago Bears, get involved. Haggling gets heated. Various media outlets fire off rumors left and right. Finally, when the dust settles, the Baltimore Ravens win the race by offering two 1st round picks.
Less than a week later, Crosby fails a physical, and the trade is rescinded. Everybody knows the Ravens did it because they lost too many free agents and believed they could sign pass rusher Trey Hendrickson while keeping their picks. It was scummy, but impossible to prevent. Crosby went back to the Raiders, where he announced his intent to stay moving forward. Most people thought that was the end of it.
League insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk isn’t buying it. He believes that if the Raiders get off to another rough start this season, which is likely in such a loaded division, Crosby’s stance will shift rapidly.
Would the Bears consider another Maxx Crosby attempt?
That may depend on circumstances. Obviously, the first is his being available. Another is whether the Bears consider themselves in a strong enough position, record-wise, to take such a big swing. While two 1st round pick won’t be the price tag at the trade deadline, it will still be high. Probably at least one 1st. If the Bears are struggling, they won’t want to pay that. Acquiring Crosby also means Poles would have to do some creative bookkeeping to fit that contract onto the payroll.
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Lastly, what is the state of both his production and the Bears’ pass rush? If Maxx Crosby looks like he’s not having a season up to his usual standards, there is no way Chicago would give up significant draft capital. On the flip side, if a combination of Montez Sweat and Austin Booker performs well together through those first two months of the season, the Bears may not feel the need to take such a big swing. There are so many factors involved in this decision.
To this point, the answer to this question is clear.
Unless the price tag falls below a 1st round pick, don’t expect the Bears to pull the trigger. Poles has been pretty steadfast with that as his red line in trades over the past few years. He’s never flipped a 1st rounder for any veteran player. The highest he’s ever gone is a 2nd round pick. Now, he might be willing to go a bit higher for Crosby, but this is a general manager who prefers to build through the draft. Unless he’s 100% certain that said trade will catapult the Bears into Super Bowl contention, he won’t do it.
If this were a few years ago, when Crosby was squarely in his prime, he might consider it. However, the former Pro Bowl is approaching his 30s and coming off a serious knee injury. He will likely remain productive for at least another year, but beyond that, it is difficult to tell. The Bears will certainly place phone calls, gauging what the price tag is. Unless it’s multiple day two picks or lower, don’t get the hopes up too high. This team remains focused on consistent contention beyond 2026.
