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The Las Vegas Raiders and Maxx Crosby did not end this season on good terms, as the franchise shut the superstar edge-rusher down over the final two weeks of the campaign with a knee injury — a move made against Crosby’s wishes and his will.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated speculated on Monday that Crosby may push for a trade out of the desert, as Las Vegas is likely to finish as the worst team in the NFL in 2025 and faces a long rebuild process, even with the No. 1 overall pick and the rookie quarterback of their choice likely joining the Raiders in April.
The Chicago Bears are NFC North Division champions and will head into the playoffs as the conference’s No. 2 seed if they can defeat the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field in Week 18. But the team’s turnaround has been too fast to trust completely, particularly because the Bears are one of the league’s best rushing attacks and overall offensive groups, but field a well-below average defense.
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Head coach Ben Johnson arguably has more pass-catching firepower than he needs, though the defense is glaringly short on pass-rushers. On Thursday, Jan. 1, Breer addressed a fan inquiry about a trade swapping wide receiver DJ Moore to the Raiders in return for Crosby.
“I think to move off Moore, you’d have to have a better option in front of you,” Breer wrote. “As for Crosby, I think this is probably the closest he’s been to asking for a trade — and I’m not saying he will. … But for the first time, his age, mileage and workload seem to be showing up with injuries and in his play down the stretch. If he’s feeling his football mortality a bit (he’ll be 29 on opening day of the 2026 season), that would be understandable, and that could push him to pursue a ring elsewhere.”
Moore, who will play next season at 29 years old, begins a four-year contract extension worth $110 million total in 2026. He would fit well and sensibly alongside star tight end Brock Bowers and offer a couple of great options for a rookie signal-caller, perhaps Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza of Indiana, just starting in his professional career.
The Bears are focused on a rush-first offense and a high percentage of heavy tight end sets, while second-year wideout Rome Odunze outshined Moore this season before suffering a foot injury that has held him out of the past four games. Moore is still an excellent player, but he represents the highest salary cap hit to the Bears next season, which doesn’t necessarily match with his value to the offense or team as a whole.
Any deal flipping Moore for Crosby would have to include at least one first-round pick going from Chicago to Las Vegas to even out the swap.
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