Vegas odds consider Bears the favorite to land Raiders star Maxx Crosby

At least one Las Vegas oddsmaker lists the Bears as the favorite to land Maxx Crosby, even considering them more likely to employ the star edge rusher this fall than the team that currently signs his paycheck. Momentum continues to move in the Bears’ direction, too.

On Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Bears as having +200 odds to end up with the disgruntled defensive end. That means that a $100 bet would win $200. By Wednesday morning, the Bears were -145 favorites, meaning a $145 bet would win $100.
The Raiders are +165 to keep Crosby. The Cowboys (+800), Bills (+1200), Buccaneers and Patriots (each +1300) are among the other teams atop DraftKings’ list.

Crosby has been upset with the only team he’s ever known since the Raiders shut him down toward the end of last year while they (successfully) chased the league’s worst record to land the first pick in the draft. Raiders general manager John Spytek said last week the team expects Crosby to stay a Raider, but there’s no question teams have been inquiring about the Raiders’ asking price.

Crosby, who has a podcast and is outspoken on social media, hasn’t weighed in on his future. If he’s traded, it seems the Raiders will never have more suitors than they do now. The league year starts in one week, with free agent negotiations opening Monday.

Maxx Crosby and Bears quarterback Caleb Williams share a mutual respect — and spoke about their fondness for each other on a recent edition of Crosby’s podcast. The Bears, though, are facing a salary cap crunch and, after Drew Dalman’s retirement Tuesday, have to find a new starting center.

Last week, general manager Ryan Poles pointed to another Bears-Raiders swap — the 2018 Khalil Mack trade — as a cautionary tale. The Bears pushed their chips in for Mack, trading two first-round picks — roughly the same price Crosby could fetch. They made the playoffs in their first year with Mack but never won a postseason game with him.

"You all have seen that, before I got here,” Poles said. “You can accelerate it and then after, it goes away pretty quick."