Getty
Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby.
The Chicago Bears did not land pass-rusher Maxx Crosby from the Las Vegas Raiders in trade, which is ultimately probably a good thing considering the price the Baltimore Ravens ended up paying for the five-time Pro Bowler.
Baltimore sent two first-round picks in 2026 and 2027, including the No. 14 overall selection this April, in return for Crosby, per a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday, March 5. And apparently, the Ravens were not the only franchise willing to go high.
“The Dallas Cowboys were willing to offer a first- and second-round pick to the Raiders for Crosby, who instead goes to the Ravens and new coach Jesse Minter,” ESPN reported.
But Bill Barnwell, also of ESPN, disagreed that the Raiders should get two first-rounders in return for Crosby, and argued in recent days that they wouldn’t.
Barnwell’s position centered around the fact that the Cowboys got two first-rounders and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark from the Green Bay Packers for Micah Parsons last August. Parsons is a younger and more decorated/accomplished pass-rusher than Crosby.
“Teams often have big asks before eventually settling for something short of their initial demands, but this sort of return wouldn’t be realistic,” Barnwell wrote. “Parsons was a 26-year-old at the end of his rookie deal and had three top-three finishes for Defensive Player of the Year. Crosby is two years older, is coming off back-to-back seasons impacted by injury and has never been a first-team All-Pro or finished higher than fourth in DPOY balloting.”
Bears Dodged Significant Overpay in Maxx Crosby Trade
GettyFormer Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Clearly, Barnwell misjudged the need for premier pass-rushers around the league and how much expensive rosters that missed the playoffs in 2025 would put up to acquire them.
Chicago does not fit into that category, despite a lack of a strong pass rush proving to be the team’s biggest weakness on either side of the ball during its run to an NFC North Division title in 2025. The Bears defense finished with 35 sacks and was bottom five in pass rush win rate and quick pressures last season.
The team flipped wide receiver DJ Moore and a fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for a second-rounder earlier this week, accumulating a total of four selections in the top three rounds between Nos. 25-89.
If the Bears had dropped pick No. 25 this April and their first-rounder next year, they would have significantly overpaid for a player in Crosby who has been a second-team All-Pro twice, though not in the last two years, and has only ever finished in the top five in voting for Defensive Player of the Year once in his seven-year career (2023).
Bears Can Probably Find Better Value in Free Agency Than Maxx Crosby Deal Would Have Provided
GettyLos Angeles Chargers pass-rusher Khalil Mack.
Crosby has missed seven games over the past two years, has finished with single-digit sack totals three times, ended campaigns with 10.0 sacks or fewer in five of his seven pro seasons and tallied more than 12.5 sacks just once in his NFL career.
That is not to say he falls short of greatness, but Crosby is under contract through 2029 and will hit the wrong side of 30 in 2027. He has yet to begin a three-year extension worth $106.5 million and will cost the Ravens serious money over the next few campaigns, while also taking two first-round talents on rookie-scale contracts off of the roster over the next two seasons combined.
Chicago would have undoubtedly been happy if it had been able to acquire Crosby, though not necessarily at the kind of price the Ravens just paid.
The Bears still have short-term options in players like Khalil Mack or Cameron Jordan, or longer-term free-agent plays in Trey Hendrickson or Odafe Oweh, all of whom will cost less in salary than Crosby and will require the Bears part with zero draft assets to acquire.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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