Sometimes, one move is all it takes.
Not a draft class. Not a coaching overhaul. Just one player placed in the right situation at the right time. According to a blockbuster trade proposal circulating around the league, that player could be Maxx Crosby—and the destination could be Chicago.
The Las Vegas Raiders are standing at the edge of a full reset. After a disastrous 3–14 season, head coach Pete Carroll is gone, the front office is staring at the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and quarterback Fernando Mendoza is widely expected to be the face of what comes next.
In moments like this, franchises are forced to make uncomfortable decisions.
Crosby’s name sits at the center of all of them.
The trade speculation began quietly, then erupted. Late in the 2025 season, Crosby reportedly left the Raiders’ facility after learning he would be shut down for the final two games.
Officially, it was about health. Unofficially, the optics were impossible to ignore. The Raiders were positioning themselves for draft capital. Crosby wanted to compete.
Those two timelines no longer aligned.
Now, FanDuel has proposed a deal that would send shockwaves through the NFC:
Maxx Crosby to the Chicago Bears in exchange for DJ Moore, a 2026 first-round pick, a 2026 fifth-round pick, and a 2027 second-round pick.
It’s aggressive. It’s expensive. And it might make terrifying sense.
For Chicago, the window is open—right now. The Bears’ 2025 season felt magical until it ended abruptly in an overtime loss to the Rams in the Divisional Round.
The roster is young, talented, and ascending. But one weakness stood out when the lights were brightest: the pass rush.
Montez Sweat delivered a solid season, but opposing quarterbacks weren’t consistently under siege. Chicago lacked a true game-wrecker—the kind of defender offenses plan entire weeks around. Crosby is exactly that.
Plug him into Matt Eberflus’ defense and the entire identity changes. Pressure tightens. Coverage improves by default. Third downs become chaos. Suddenly, Chicago’s defense isn’t just good—it’s oppressive.
And that’s how Super Bowl favorites are born.
For Las Vegas, the logic is colder but no less compelling. Crosby is one of the best defenders in football, but he’s also a veteran entering a rebuild with one winning season in seven years.
If the Raiders are committing to Mendoza and a longer timeline, moving Crosby now—while his value is still enormous—may be the cleanest path forward.
DJ Moore gives Vegas an immediate No. 1 receiver, something they desperately lack. His 2025 numbers were underwhelming (50 catches, 682 yards, six touchdowns), but context matters.
A change of scenery could reset his role, especially for a young quarterback who needs a reliable target. Add multiple premium draft picks, and the Raiders suddenly control the pace of their rebuild.
It’s the kind of trade that hurts emotionally but makes sense structurally.
That’s what makes it dangerous.
Because if Chicago pulls the trigger, the ripple effects extend far beyond the two teams involved. The NFC hierarchy shifts. Super Bowl odds move.
Defensive coordinators start losing sleep. And the Bears stop being a “nice story” and start being a problem.
Crosby doesn’t just add sacks. He adds belief. The kind that shows up in December. The kind that changes locker rooms. The kind that makes close games tilt your way.
For the Raiders, this would be the official acknowledgment that one era has ended—and another has begun. For the Bears, it would be a declaration: we’re not waiting.
Whether the deal ever materializes is almost secondary.
The idea alone forces the question every contender eventually has to answer:
Do you protect the future—or do you take your shot when the door is open?
If Maxx Crosby ends up in Chicago, the NFC may already have its answer.
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