Mike Pendleton, Bears WireWed, March 11, 2026 at 1:58 AM UTC·4 min readShocking news in the NFL dropped on Tuesday night when it was revealed that the Baltimore Ravens had backed out of their trade agreement with the Las Vegas Raiders for superstar pass rusher Maxx Crosby.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport provided detail on the bizarre situation specific to the injury back in February, reporting that Crosby actually had a meniscus repair, not a trim, which means his recovery is expected to be months and not weeks during the 2026 offseason.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThere will be several dominos to fall from this chaotic news, but the dust is nowhere close to being settled in regards to the future of Crosby and where he could play in the 2026 season. Several NFL Insiders have detailed immediate reaction around the league, most of which has been directed toward the Ravens and the head-scratching that comes with their decision to back out of negotiations.
With Baltimore out, and Las Vegas scrambling to figure out their next move, several teams are now likely back in the mix for Crosby's services with the price of a trade surely to be different than the two first-round picks that Baltimore agreed to. The question now becomes, should the Chicago Bears get back into the picture for Crosby? Let's break it down:
Should the Bears get back in the mix for Crosby?
The short, easy answer is yes, but there may be several complicated layers to how they get back into discussions. First and foremost, any team that is interested in making a run towards Crosby will likely have to work any free agent deals that they agreed to, needing to create the necessary cap space to bring in the Raiders superstar. For Chicago, the biggest deals they've given out were to safety Coby Bryant and linebacker Devin Bush, but they had yet to make a big splash signing or trade in the first two days of the tampering window being opened.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhat is the new price for Maxx Crosby?
Well, it is highly unlikely that the Raiders will get a team to agree to sending out two first-round picks following this news, and there weren't many willing to meet that price to begin with. So in short, Crosby's value is now likely a first round pick plus multiple picks or players in a deal. But the idea of two firsts are off the table. Chicago did pick up a second-round pick in trading DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills, giving them two selections in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft or more valuable trade assets if they wanted to pursue Crosby.
Can Maxx Crosby pass other physicals?
Yes. Just because one team's doctor and medical staff fails a player does not mean that he will be failed across the league, but teams will have to do extensive research on his health status. If a team like the Bears feels comfortable to wait on Crosby to get healthy through the summer, he could pass their physical which would lead to a completed trade.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhat about teams who have agreed to big contracts in free agency?
Several teams are reportedly reacting to this issue, the biggest issue around the league outside of the Ravens and Raiders. A lot of teams have already committed their money to other players and areas on their roster, and if they wanted to get back into the mix for Crosby, they'd have to either renegotiate or pull their offers from the agreed deals with free agents to create cap space. There could be a big domino effect across the league that severely impacts free agent contracts.
Has a team ever backed out of a trade before?
Yes, the Ravens have rescinded three different offers in their franchise history due to issues with physicals, but there has not been one to the level of this magnitude before. There's also history with the Bears where former offensive lineman Roberto Garza had agreed to a free agent deal, ironically with the Ravens, but issues with his physical saw them pull the deal off the table and Garza remained in Chicago, where he had no issues.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Maxx Crosby fallout: Should the Chicago Bears get back in the mix?
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