As the 2026 NFL offseason begins to heat up, many Chicago Bears fans want to see their team pull off a blockbuster trade for the disgruntled edge-rusher Maxx Crosby. As exciting as that would be, not everyone within the community wants to see the team acquire the Las Vegas Raiders star.
Crosby makes sense if Chicago can pull it off, given its dire need to add pass-rushers. However, the Bears' limited cap space is the main reason a Crosby trade seems out of reach, according to Kevin Fishbain of ‘The Athletic.'
“As we go through the Bears' salary cap situation and their litany of needs on defense, it's just difficult to see the investment needed for Crosby to attract Poles, who has emphasized keeping the long view during this window the Bears have opened,” Fishbain wrote.
Chicago is already $7 million over the cap, the eighth-worst situation in the league, per Over the Cap. Acquiring Crosby would require making room to absorb the three-year, $106.5 million extension he signed in the 2025 offseason.
The Bears have the means to create some cap space, but they have other dire needs to address in free agency besides edge-rusher. Fishbain finds it more feasible for the team to make multiple moves in 2026 than to make one big splash for Crosby.
Another Bears insider denounces Maxx Crosby trade
The Bears should also proceed with caution due to their previous trade for Khalil Mack, Dan Wiederer of ‘The Athletic' explained. Wiederer believes general manager Ryan Poles should learn from how the end of Mack's tenure almost directly led to his predecessor's firing.
“The cautionary tale for the Bears to consider before trading with the Raiders for a premier pass rusher is… well, that trade the Bears once made with the Raiders for a premier pass rusher,” Wiederer wrote. “Bears fans remember that 2018 deal for Khalil Mack fondly.
“After all, upon snagging the then-27-year-old standout for two first-round picks, a third and a sixth — plus a record-setting contract extension with $90 million in guaranteed money — the team immediately shot from last place to the top of the NFC North, enjoying a dream season with Mack at the engine. But that success was short-lived. Over Mack's final three seasons in Chicago, the Bears had a 0.449 winning percentage and never won a playoff game.”
While Poles was not with the Bears during the Mack era, the entire league saw how the edge-rusher's contract prevented the team from addressing its massive flaws in ensuing offseasons. Trading Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers was one of Poles' first moves after taking over for Ryan Pace.
