Over the weekend I had my brother-in-law in town to help me remodel my kitchen. It was then when we were talking about the possibility of the Detroit Lions trading for Myles Garrett and he asked if the Lions could trade any players to Cleveland for him.
Here’s the thing, I don’t think that the Lions will trade any players in that deal or whatever deal that they plan to do. I expect that move to be totally driven by draft picks alone. But it made me think about what player the Lions would even think about trading that could help push a deal over the edge.
Keep in mind we’re talking about a solid player here. We’re not talking about the third cornerback or something like that. If the Browns or any team considering trading a superstar to the Lions wanted a big-time player back, I think Sam LaPorta is the only guy that makes sense.
On the defensive side, I look at guys like Brian Branch, Aidan Hutchinson and Kerby Joseph and each one of them is just untouchable. On offense you can’t move your quarterback, you love Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown, and that run game and offensive line make the offense go.
LaPorta is so good and I don’t think the Lions would or should even think about trading him, but if push came to shove and the Lions had a chance at generational talent in return, this is the one spot that they would have their best shot at rebuilding without losing the explosiveness that they have on offense.
It would also save the team cap space because they then would not have to pay him top-of-the-market money when it comes time to pay him. LaPorta is very likely to be a guy who could be the highest-paid tight end in the league very soon.
Again, this is just the thinking here. I am definitely not advocating for a LaPorta trade at all. I cannot stress that enough. It just makes sense that if the Lions had to part with one really great player, this would be the least painful bandaid to rip off. Even though it would still hurt. I’m curious to hear Lions fan’s thoughts and if they have anyone that they would suggest.