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Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby.
The Chicago Bears have emerged as the new odds-on favorites to have superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby on their roster for the 2026 NFL season amid growing buzz that the Las Vegas Raiders are looking to trade their five-time Pro Bowler.
According to the latest odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, the Bears (-135) have become significant betting favorites to be Crosby’s 2026 team, prevailing over other potential trade suitors — including Dallas (+1200) — as well as the Raiders (+165) themselves.
The Bears, widely expected to prioritize improvements to their pass rusher, have made sense as logical suitors for Crosby on the market since trade rumors first emerged near the end of the 2025 season. While Chicago would need to do some cap maintenance to clear room for Crosby’s contract, a blockbuster trade is within the realm of possibility.
Crosby is one of the elite veteran pass rushers in the league, finishing the 2025 season with 10 sacks and 28 tackles for loss — second in the NFL — despite playing through an injury that prompted the Raiders to shut him down for the final two games of the year. While he will turn 29 before next season, his value on the market should be immense.
NFL teams are not permitted to process trades until the start of the new league year at 4 p.m. ET on March 11, but two sides can agree to terms on player trades beforehand.
Latest Intel on Maxx Crosby’s Situation With Raiders
The rumor mill has churned out near-constant updates on Crosby’s situation over the past few months as speculation has increased about his future with the Raiders; though, much of the chatter has been hypothetical debates about why a trade could make sense.
That said, a few NFL national reporters and insiders have gleaned some valuable intel.
Coming out of last week’s 2026 NFL Combine, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler disclosed that a team source affiliated with the Raiders told him that chances are “relatively small” that Crosby returns to the Raiders for next season, despite the trade front quieting down.
“It’s somewhat quiet on the Maxx Crosby front,” Fowler wrote on March 1. “This is a layered discussion because a team source said a few weeks ago that Crosby’s chances of returning were relatively small. But he doesn’t plan to request a trade. He’s tight with Raiders owner Mark Davis, and he probably wouldn’t garner a Micah Parsons-like trade package (two firsts and a key player).”
The Raiders might not fetch a Parsons package for Crosby, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes it would still take a team offering them a deal that they cannot refuse to move Crosby. Realistically, the team could set a compensatory floor at one first-round pick and a veteran player, but they may seek more to move on from their premier defender.
Raiders & Bears Might Not See Eye-to-Eye on Trade
The Bears might have everyone’s attention as one of the presumed suitors for Crosby, but the Raiders’ sought compensation could take them out of the conversation entirely.
If the Raiders are seeking multiple first-round picks for Crosby, there is a good chance that the Bears will not agree with them on the compensation. Crosby is an immensely talented player, but he will turn 29 before next season and has dealt with a few injuries over the past two seasons. For all the Parsons trade comparisons, it is not the same.
For the Bears, a big piece of the puzzle is figuring out how to fit Crosby’s contract on their books without crippling their ability to address other needs. The Bears have the means to clear the necessary space to fit Crosby’s roughly $30 million cap hit in 2026, but they also need safeties, linebackers, a left tackle and more defensive interior help.
It might not be as much of an issue if Crosby were hitting the free-agent market, but it is an awful lot to ask of the Bears to trade multiple first-round picks for a player with a contract that will cost about $29 million annually over the next four seasons.
Jordan J. Wilson is a sports reporter who covers the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. He has previously covered all levels of sports — high school, college and pro — for a variety of publications including The Indianapolis Star, The News-Gazette, Springfield State-Journal Register and Peoria Journal Star. More about Jordan J. Wilson
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