There aren’t many places on the Detroit Lions roster that the team needs to improve this summer. One of the few places you can claim that is with the edge rusher group. Aidan Hutchinson, who saw his 2024 campaign stop early after rising as the Defensive Player of the Year candidate in the first six weeks, is likely to take one of the Lions’ two starting slots for the long haul. Fortunately, Hutchinson is projected to fully recuperate in time for the start of the 2025 season.
However, things are hazy behind him. Za’Darius Smith will turn 33 this year and isn’t guaranteed to return. Even if he does, Smith will be a free agent next year, so the Lions require a long-term solution opposite Hutchinson, as well as increased depth in general. One NFL analyst, Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report, proposed a trade possibility that Lions fans will enjoy. He proposes that the Lions deal for Cincinnati Bengals great edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. The proposal calls for the Lions to swap a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick.
It’s not just a matter of a Detroit pass rush that all but evaporated when Aidan Hutchinson got hurt last year. It’s the matter of where the Lions are as a franchise. If they’re going to make their first-ever Super Bowl, the time is now.
Hendrickson and Hutchinson would be a phenomenal duo on the edge. The Lions have the salary-cap space to make an extension for Hendrickson work.
Push your chips into the middle of the table, Lions. Get what you can for a player who won’t be extended, Bengals.
We couldn’t agree more with Davenport’s position here. If the Lions get the opportunity to add an outstanding edge rusher like Hendrickson, who led the NFL in sacks last season, they should jump at the chance. But it remains to be seen whether the Bengals will play here. Duke Tobin, the Bengals’ director of player personnel, has stated that the organization wants to keep their great defense, who is entering the final year of his contract, but Tobin is unwilling to pay top dollar.
According to Kevin Patra of NFL.com, Tobin stated that Hendrickson has earned a pay hike and a contract extension. “We are aware of it, and we will provide it to him. However, whether we can agree on what that looks like remains to be seen. “We can’t have guys at the top of the wage scale in every position, right? “We’ll do what we can,” Tobin said. “We’ll do what we believe is right, and we’ll strive to re-sign Trey. It’s not giving anyone an extension. It’s reaching an agreement with someone for an extension.”
The Bengals are clearly willing to pay Hendrickson more to keep him, but if he rightfully seeks a top-of-the-market deal, the two sides may reach an impasse, leading to Hendrickson demanding a trade, as he reportedly did last year when the two sides failed to agree on an extension. It’s unclear whether Davenport’s proposed package will suffice, but if it does, Lions general manager Brad Holmes should promptly submit it. This is the type of transaction a contender like the Lions should make.
From there, the Lions would have to give Hendrickson the bag to keep him happy, which they can do with a favorable salary cap situation in the coming years. This offseason, the Lions have $46.5 million to work with.
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