Tag: Lions trade

Trade alert: Lions move back from No. 6 to No. 12

The Detroit Lions traded back from the NO. 6 pick in the 2023 NFL draft with the Arizona Cardinals

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The Detroit Lions won’t be making a selection at No. 6 overall in the 2023 NFL after all. The Lions traded the pick to the Arizona Cardinals.

Detroit picks up the No. 12 overall pick from Arizona, which previously traded back from No. 3 overall with the Houston Texans. The Lions also picked up No. 12 overall, No. 34 overall and No. 168 overall. Detroit also sent back No. 81 overall to the Cardinals.

Arizona selected Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. with the Lions’ traded pick.

Detroit now holds the No. 12 pick and the No. 18 pick in the first round, plus three second-round picks on Friday night (34, 48 and 55)

Lions GM Brad Holmes explains the Jeff Okudah trade dynamics

Lions GM Brad Holmes explained the timing and factors into trading CB Jeff Okudah to the Falcons

Not every question in Lions GM Brad Holmes’ pre-draft press conference dealt with the upcoming NFL draft. It was also the first time since the team traded away cornerback Jeff Okudah that Holmes has been available to talk on the record about the move.

The Lions traded Okudah, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, to the Atlanta Falcons for a fifth-round pick (No. 159 overall). It was an underwhelming ending to a once-promising Lions career for Okudah, who struggled with injuries and inconsistent play in his three years in Detroit.

“Yeah, I just think it was the right time,” Holmes said plainly. “It was just the right time and I think it was good for Jeff. I had a good talk with him after it was done, and he totally understood it as well. It was great. I really respect what Jeff did. We kind of put him in some adverse moments in training camp last year, and like I told you guys I really respected how he battled and didn’t bat an eye and won the starting job. We had the conversation of, ‘OK, if this didn’t happen now, is there a chance that it could happen a little bit later?’

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Holmes continued,

“I just think it was good for Jeff. I’ve got a lot of respect for (Falcons General Manager) Terry (Fontenot) out there in Atlanta. It was a really smooth, efficient process. It kind of just came up. Again, like I was telling you guys about the (Vikings TE T.J.) Hockenson trade, I wasn’t making a ton of calls and I wasn’t actively shopping or anything like that. You get the call and sometimes it just lines up, and it makes sense for all parties, and it just did.”

Holmes has always been straightforward in his dealings with other teams, and it appears that was indeed the case with the Okudah trade to Atlanta, too.

Instant reaction to the Lions trading Jeff Okudah to the Falcons

Here are some quick, snap reactions on a few different angles to the Okudah trade.

Jeff Okudah is no longer a member of the Detroit Lions. The team ended the relationship on Tuesday bu trading the fourth-year cornerback to the Atlanta Falcons for a 2023 fifth-round pick.

While not entirely unexpected — the rumors were reaching fever pitch recently — it’s still something of a stunner.

Here are some quick, snap reactions on a few different angles to the Okudah trade.

Poll: Should the Lions have interest in trading for Baker Mayfield?

It’s not going to happen, but should the Lions have interest in trading for Baker Mayfield?

Friday was a busy day in the NFL. Among many other developments, the Cleveland Browns agreed to trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. It’s a massive trade that sends five draft picks to Houston and will see the Browns give Watson $230 million in a fully guaranteed contract.

That leaves the Browns with a Baker Mayfield problem. Mayfield, the team’s starter for the last four seasons, is still on the team. For now…

The Browns are efforting to trade Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. The Lions have a (potential) long-term need at quarterback. It’s a discussion worth having.

Should the Lions attempt to trade for Baker Mayfield?

Note: This is strictly hypothetical. It is extremely unlikely the Lions even pick up the phone to inquire about Mayfield.

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Pros for Mayfield

  • Accurate passer (when healthy)
  • Able to create with both his arm and legs when plays break down
  • Kneecap-biting attitude and feisty leadership
  • Proven winner, broke the Browns’ 26-year playoff victory drought in 2020
  • What figures to be a low asking price in a trade
  • Not afraid to challenge defenses down the field

Cons against Mayfield

  • Currently recovering from major (non-throwing) shoulder surgery
  • Personality can grate on teammates and coaches
  • Under contract for just 2022, will be a free agent or require a contract extension right away
  • Inconsistent play throughout his four NFL seasons
  • Often chooses the higher risk/reward target than taking the surer option

Let your voice be heard! Again, for hypothetical purposes only…

Lions GM Brad Holmes ‘not surprised’ at the Rams success with Matthew Stafford

Lions GM Brad Holmes ‘not surprised’ at the Rams success with Matthew Stafford one year after the trade from Detroit

On the one-year anniversary of the trade that sent quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes expressed no regret about engineering the trade of the long-time Lions QB. In a quick press briefing to kick off the Senior Bowl week in Mobile, Alabama, Holmes made it clear that keeping Stafford in Detroit was never an option for him.

“Well, he asked for a trade,” a bemused Holmes responded. “He didn’t — he asked for a trade. And we made it work out for both sides.”

Holmes kept it very matter-of-factual in tone as he continued,

“Stafford is a good player and the Rams are a good team and it worked out for them. It gave us compensation that can help us along the way. I’m not surprised by their success.”

He shouldn’t be. Holmes was the Rams’ director of collegiate scouting for several years and helped identify and draft the talent that has proven Super Bowl-worthy in Los Angeles.

Holmes spoke more about the respect he has for the leadership and the accomplishment of the Rams, noting that it was the culmination of years of building to this point. Stafford helped lead the Rams to the NFC Championship and a Super Bowl berth with a comeback win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Report: Matthew Stafford nixed potential trade to Panthers

The Lions wound up getting a much better deal from the Rams by doing right by their longtime QB

An interesting report from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds another layer to the Detroit Lions and their handling of the Matthew Stafford trade back in January. Per Rapoport, the Lions were all set to send their longtime franchise quarterback to the Carolina Panthers before changing course.

Here’s what Rapoport noted about the potential Panthers trade and how close it was to going down,

Yet, in late January, one team jumped to the forefront — the Carolina Panthers. They were aggressive. Sources said they actually neared a deal by the time they left the Senior Bowl. Several people involved thought they would be the winner of the Stafford sweepstakes.

Sources say that’s when Stafford — who makes his first start for the Rams on Sunday night versus the Bears — stepped in. After consulting with his family, he made clear that he wanted to go to the Rams and so did his family. Stafford made his voice heard, and the Lions brass listened.

Suddenly, the Panthers — despite offering a prime first-round pick and Teddy Bridgewater — were out.

The Panthers offer here would be Bridgewater, now the starting QB for the Denver Broncos, and the No. 8 overall pick. That would have given the Lions back-to-back picks at No. 7 and No. 8 in 2021, though no future first-round picks. Detroit scored the Rams’ first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 as well as a 2021 third-round pick and QB Jared Goff.

It’s not surprising that Stafford wanted to go to Los Angeles. The Rams are much closer to winning playoff games than the Panthers. The details of Detroit’s involvement are the interesting part. To do right by Stafford, they wound up getting a much better deal from the Rams than the reported trade details here with the Panthers.

One other note: Rapoport indicates that several other teams were also quite interested in trading for Stafford, including the NFC North rival Chicago Bears.

Full details of the Trinity Benson trade between the Lions and Broncos

The fine print of the trade reveals a better deal for Detroit

The trade between the Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions involving wide receiver Trinity Benson is officially on the books. The NFL’s transaction wire shows the full details of the trade, and it includes a wrinkle on one of the two picks the Lions are sending to Denver.

The official deal:

The Lions send their own 2022 fifth-round pick and a 2022 seventh-round pick to the Broncos for Benson and Denver’s own 2023 sixth-round pick.

It’s the seventh-round pick that requires a little explanation.

The pick included in the trade is not the Lions’ own seventh-rounder. It’s a conditional pick acquired from the Cleveland Browns in a prior trade for QB David Blough. Detroit and Cleveland swapped their seventh-round picks for the 2022 NFL draft when the Lions acquired Blough from the Browns just before the 2019 season began.

Given the rosy prognosis for the Browns, who won their first playoff game since 1994 a year ago and appear poised for another potential postseason run, the pick dealt here projets to be among the very last of the draft, pending compensatory picks.

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Trade alert: Lions deal draft picks to Broncos for WR Trinity Benson

The Detroit Lions have traded for Denver Broncos WR Trinity Benson

The Detroit Lions have made a deal to bolster the receiving corps. The Lions have sent two 2022 draft picks to the Broncos in exchange for wide receiver Trinity Benson. The Lions will also pick up a draft pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

Mike Klis of 9News in Denver was the first to report the trade.

Deal details:

The Lions are sending a 2022 5th-round pick and 2022 7th-round pick to Denver for Benson and a 6th-round pick in 2023.

Benson was caught in a numbers game at WR in Denver, but he had an impressive preseason. He caught two TDs in the Broncos preseason matchup against the Minnesota Vikings this summer. He’s been with the Broncos since 2019 on their practice squad. The 6-0, 180-pounder played collegiately at East Central in Oklahoma.

 

 

Lions trade 7th round pick in 2023 to the Rams for DL Michael Brockers

The Rams desperately needed the cap room

We now know more details of the pending trade between the Los Angeles Rams and the Detroit Lions.

No, not that trade. The Jared Goff/Matthew Stafford deal has been done for weeks. This one involved new Lions defensive lineman Michael Brockers.

Per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the Lions will get Brockers for barely a song. It’s a seventh-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft for the 30-year-old defensive lineman, who projects to start right away in Detroit.

Why so little compensation for a productive veteran who still has gas in the tank? It’s simple: the Rams desperately needed the salary cap space. Brockers refused to restructure his contract and the Rams could not afford to keep him. They opted to pay EDGE Leonard Floyd, as well as taking on Stafford’s contract and Goff’s dead money, instead.

Brockers has two years left on his contract, with base salaries of $6.5 million in 2021 and $7.5 million in 2022. None of the salary is guaranteed, however, so the Lions are getting a contract that’s easy to escape if Brockers doesn’t pan out as planned.

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Report: Lions finalizing a trade for Rams DL Michael Brockers

Brockers has started for the Rams since 2012

Lions GM Brad Holmes was a busy man on Tuesday night. Holmes and the Lions agreed to a trade with his old employer, the Los Angeles Rams, for veteran defensive tackle Michael Brockers.

Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network was the first to break the news.

Exact details of the return compensation are not yet available. Brockers was the Rams first-round pick in 2012 out of LSU and has been a fixture in the starting lineup ever since. He can play either DE or DT at 6-5 and 305 pounds, which would fit in with new Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s expected scheme. Brockers, 30, had 51 tackles and five sacks in 15 games in 2020 for Los Angeles.

Holmes was the director of collegiate scouting for the Rams when they selected Brockers in 2012. He was the first first-round pick for GM Les Snead and Holmes.

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