Maxx Crosby and Chicago Bears trade rumors heat up: Should the Bears acquire the Raiders star?
The Bears look for Maxx-imum impact in free agency | 1st & North
The offseason is heating up a week before the combine and rumors are flying. Could Maxx Crosby end up in Bears blue on the cheap? Minnesota might add a free agent possible JJ McCarthy mentor, too? The Pack dive into the bargain bin and Detroit talks new coaches.
As if the rumors couldn't get any louder.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams made an appearance on a podcast on Tuesday. In the hour-long episode, he detailed his thought process after his Year 2 ended in the NFC Divisional Round.
"I'm fighting myself right now because I do know that rest and getting away is extremely important," Williams said on The Rush podcast. "I'm fighting the urge right now. The fire is burning. I'm excited to get back."
That should be music to the ears of Bears fans everywhere. It might also have been a sales pitch to The Rush's host, Las Vegas Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby.
With the NFL Combine next week, where all 32 NFL general managers and head coaches will be in attendance, conversations might grow. But, Williams' appearance on Crosby's podcast can only stoke more rumors about the Bears acquiring the pass rusher.
Should the Bears acquire him? It's a layered question.
What we know:
The Bears played the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4 of the 2025 season.
Williams led the Bears to a go-ahead touchdown in the final two minutes of the game, and won 25-24 after Josh Blackwell blocked the Raiders' game-winning field goal attempt. It was win No. 2 in the Bears' four-game win streak.
Crosby had a forced fumble and an interception in that game. Since then, the Bears won the NFC North and made the playoffs. The Raiders clinched the No. 1 overall pick.
"He’s probably the best player I’ve ever played against so far in my career," Williams said of Crosby after the Bears beat the Raiders on Sept. 28, 2025.
Trade talks around Crosby have been ongoing since the 2024 offseason. Those rumors took a different shape in 2025, especially after the Cowboys traded Micah Parsons to the Packers.
The Raiders didn't play Crosby in the final games of the season, and reports were that Crosby was upset the team held him out in those final few games. Crosby has not publicly requested a trade, but the smoke is undeniable.
The Bears finished the 2025 NFL season ranking 29th in the league sack rate. The Bears' 2026 offseason will need to focus on finding a jolt for that pass rusher, especially with 2025 free agent signing Dayo Odeyingbo recovering from a season-ending Achilles injury.
Seeing Crosby pair with Williams, arguably the Bears' biggest face of their franchise since Brian Urlacher, on Crosby's podcast is the same as fanning the flames.
FOX Sports NFL Free Agency Predictions: How the Chicago Bears land a top FA pass rusher
Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams have the Chicago thinking about a Super Bowl run in 2026. FOX Sports' Greg Auman has four free-agent predictions for the Bears, including a big-name pass rusher.
What's next:
This week, ESPN's Bill Barnwell wrote a story that linked the Bears and Raiders as potential trade partners.
The Bears would send their 2025 first-round pick, No. 25 overall, and wide receiver DJ Moore to the Raiders for Crosby and a 2027 fifth-round pick. The merits of trading Moore, who carries a $28.5 million cap hit in 2026 as his four-year extension kick in, warrants a completely different conversation.
But, the Bears need to decide what's next.
General manager Ryan Poles needs to improve the team's pass rush. That's a must for the Bears this offseason. How he does that will be completely dependent upon if he believes the Bears are a Super Bowl contender.
If the Bears want to swing for the fences, they could acquire Crosby. It would be similar to how they acquired Khalil Mack in 2018, with the main difference being the Bears have their quarterback of the future in Williams as opposed to still being on the fence with Mitchell Trubisky.
At No. 25 overall, the Bears will have a plethora of pass rushers and defensive linemen to choose from. None of them will be close to the level of impact Crosby would have, though.
Step 1, however, is determining if the Bears are contenders.
If the Bears decide they want to swing for a player of Crosby's status, the next few weeks with the combine and start of NFL free agency will be telling in how the Bears position themselves to make that swing.