Ravens land star edge rusher Maxx Crosby, outbidding the Bears. Chicago misses out on a top defensive talent despite significant cap space.
The race for Las Vegas Raiders star edge rusher Maxx Crosby came to an end on Friday night, and the Chicago Bears didn't come away victorious.
Instead, the winners of the Crosby sweepstakes were the Baltimore Ravens, via ESPN's Adam Schefter. The trade will have to wait until the new league year starts on March 11 to be processed.
The Ravens gave up first-round picks from 2026 and 2027 to land Crosby. The Dallas Cowboys were apparently also in the running and offered a first and second pick for Crosby, but the Raiders went with the Ravens' offer instead.
The five-time Pro Bowler will be joining head coach Jesse Minter and former Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle at the Ravens. Even though Crosby didn't play a full season, he still finished with 73 total tackles, 10 sacks, 28 TFLs and two forced fumbles.
After all the rumors this offseason and the moves the Bears made, seemingly pointing toward a Crosby trade, General Manager Ryan Poles lost the race for Crosby.
Chicago even became the betting favorite to land Crosby via a trade earlier in the week, at +200 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The reports were right about when a trade for Crosby could happen. The Bears just weren't willing to beat the Ravens' offer, it seems.
It started with a move the Bears didn't make on their own, with center Drew Dalman retiring. Since Dalman retired, the remainder of his salary was forfeited, freeing up $10 million in cap space.
Then on Thursday, Chicago traded D.J. Moore and a fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for a second-round pick. That move freed up $16.5 million in cap space.
The Bears then released linebacker Tremaine Edmunds after failing to find a suitable trade partner. Letting go of Edmunds freed up $15 million in cap space for the Bears.
After all of those moves, the Bears had roughly $33.1 million in cap space. Then, the team decided it was time to be on the receiving end of a trade.
Chicago sent a fifth-round pick to land New England Patriots center Garrett Bradbury as a replacement for Dalman.
On the bright side, Crosby will still be on the opposite side of the conference. The Bears won't be facing the Ravens in the 2026 regular season either.
This move could sting for Chicago, given how close they were to challenging for an NFC title back in January.
Instead, the Bears will hang on to their first-round pick and continue building for the future.