After a turnaround season in 2025, the Chicago Bears looked into upgrading their defensive line.
General manager Ryan Poles confirmed Thursday that the team was interested in trading for star pass rusher Maxx Crosby before he traded to the Baltimore Ravens — a deal that ended up being called off.
“We were involved. We checked into it. We looked to see if it made sense,” Poles said, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “Had some dialogue. I’ll leave it at that.”
The Raiders sent Crosby to the Ravens in return for a pair of first-round picks last week, but Las Vegas announced on Tuesday that Baltimore had backed out of the deal.
The decision by the Ravens came after the team got the results of Crosby’s physical. Crosby is currently rehabbing a torn meniscus he suffered late in the 2025 season.
Ravens’ GM Eric DeCosta said Wednesday that he’s “gutted” by the failed trade, though Baltimore ended up signing star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson in free agency.
After the trade reversal, it was unclear whether the Raiders would still try to trade Crosby or keep him around. Crosby seemed to confirm that he was staying in Las Vegas with a social media post on Thursday.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported Thursday that the Raiders are now telling teams that Crosby won’t be traded. Florio added that Las Vegas never wanted to trade Crosby in the first place.
That means that if the Bears, or any other team, were hoping to get Crosby at a lower price after the failed trade with the Ravens, it likely won’t happen.
The Raiders spent big in free agency after trading Crosby’s expensive contract, which could make things more difficult now that it’s back on their books. Still, the high price of Crosby’s deal could end up being well worth it if Las Vegas manages to turn things around.
