Even with free agency and the 2026 NFL draft coming up, the biggest question surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster right now is whether defensive end Maxx Crosby is going to be on it this season. Crosby has been the subject of trade rumors since the Raiders shut him down at the end of the 2025 campaign, and those talks have only intensified since then.
One popular destination for the five-time Pro Bowler is the Chicago Bears. Plenty of hypothetical trades have sent him to the Windy City, and the Bears recently
became the betting favorite to land the star pass-rusher.
That makes sense because Chicago has been looking for someone who can get after the quarterback on the opposite side of Montez Sweat for a couple of years and hasn’t been able to find someone to fill that role. Plus, Ben Johnson’s crew is coming off an 11-6 season that resulted in an NFC North title and a playoff run, meaning the team is expected to be Super Bowl contenders next season while the Raiders are rebuilding. That would make the Bears an attractive destination for the 28-year-old who turns 29 in August.
On that topic, it’s also worth noting that Crosby had Chicago’s starting quarterback, Caleb Williams, on his The Rush podcast just a couple of weeks ago.
But there’s one major problem with the Bears acquiring Crosby: they’re about $7.5 million over the cap before the new league year starts, and his contract carries a hefty $30.7 million hit for the team that trades for him, according to Over The Cap. For housekeeping purposes, the Raiders would only take on about $5.1 million in dead cap if they send the defensive end elsewhere.
That being said, Chicago recently made a move that could help make this theoretical deal a reality, trading wide receiver D.J. Moore and a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for a 2026 second-round pick. Of course, there are actual football reasons—on top of the extra draft capital—why the organization would want to move on from Moore.
His production has declined over the last three seasons, going from a 96-catch, 1,364-yard performance in his first year with the Bears to 50 receptions for 682 yards this past fall. Also, the team has a couple of young, up-and-coming receivers in Rome Odunze (2024 first-round pick) and Luther Burden III (2025 second-round pick), on top of tight end Colston Loveland (2025 first-round pick), who was their leading receiver last year.
All of that is true, but how Moore impacts Chicago’s salary cap also had to play a factor in the decision to trade him and can’t be ignored. Per OTC, the club will take on a $12 million dead cap hit but will also get $16.5 million in cap relief. That helps pull them out of the red and into the black, creating a pathway to potentially trade for Crosby.
Of course, the Bears will only be $9 million above water once the Moore trade officially goes through, meaning the front office still needs to create about $21.5 million of space to take on Crosby’s contract. But general manager Ryan Poles seems to have a plan in place for that already.
At the end of February, the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs reported that the Bears are allowing linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to seek a trade, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on March 1 that the Raiders are one of a handful of teams that are interested in the linebacker.
“One player who has strong trade value and a decent chance to be dealt is Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds,” Fowler wrote. “The Titans, Raiders and Giants are among teams interested in high-end linebackers, and they like Edmunds, who’s only 27 despite eight years in the league.”
As Fowler notes, it makes sense why Las Vegas would be interested in Edmunds. He’s still relatively young to help be part of the franchise’s rebuild, and just about every linebacker who was on last year’s roster is scheduled to hit free agency.
Additionally, Tremaine’s brother, safety Terrell Edmunds, was on the Raiders’ roster last year. Granted, Terrell was on a one-year contract, but he could be re-signed relatively cheaply if the brothers want to play together, and it should help that one of them is familiar with the area and the organization.
In other words, the Raiders have a need at linebacker and could reasonably be interested in Edmunds. Including him in a trade for Crosby could help make the deal more feasible for the Bears. The two-time Pro Bowler is about to enter the final year of his contract, which carries just under $17.5 million in cap hit, according to OTC, hence the interest in moving on from him. However, Chicago saves $15 million by trading or cutting him.
Shipping Edmunds to Vegas (or somewhere else) would still leave Chi-Town roughly $6.5 million short of being able to take on Crosby’s contract, though. But that amount shouldn’t be much of a deterrent, as it isn’t unreasonable for the front office to restructure a contract or two to create some space. Also, the Bears should get some cap relief once center Drew Dalman’s surprising retirement becomes official, per OTC.
“The Bears will place Dalman on the Reserve/Retired list so they will keep his rights in the event Dalman comes out of retirement in the future,” Jason Fitzgeral, the site’s founder, wrote. “Once that occurs the Bears will take on a $4 million dead money charge for the remaining proration of a $6 million signing bonus that they paid him in 2025 and his $14 million cap charge will vanish. Dalman will forfeit his $9.5 million salary guarantee for the year so the team will then save $10 million in cap room but will have a gaping hole in the middle of the line.”
As Fitzgerald notes, the Bears will need to replace Dalman. However, Poles seems to already be on top of that, bringing in Tyler Biadasz, who was recently released by the Washington Commanders, for a visit on March 3, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Additionally, Chicago could move on from tight end Cole Kmet to create another $8.4 million of available funds. Since signing a contract extension in 2023, Kmet’s production has dipped from a career-high 73 catches, 719 yards and six touchdowns to 30, 347 and two in 2025, the worst numbers he’s put up since his rookie season. That, on top of Loveland’s presence, makes the six-year veteran expendable, if need be.
Long story short, it certainly feels like the Bears are gearing up to make an offer for Crosby, and there are a lot of signs pointing in that direction. NFL Insider Benjamin Albright recently posted on X/Twitter that Chicago is Crosby’s preferred destination, though Albright is skeptical whether the economics would work. Well, as outlined in detail above, the Bears have a path to balance the ledger.
Will Crosby join the likes of Khalil Mack as a star edge-rusher that the Silver and Black trade to the Windy City for a handful of draft picks? We’ll have to wait and find out for sure, but the option does seem to be on the table.
