Could the Lions trade for Aaron Donald?
The NFL trade deadline is getting closer and closer. The Detroit Lions have a pretty solid handful of guys that everyone thinks they will go after. Guys like Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns or Commanders edge Chase Young. A Twitter follower brought up a good one Wednesday and I decided to look into it. Ok. […]
The NFL trade deadline is getting closer and closer. The Detroit Lions have a pretty solid handful of guys that everyone thinks they will go after. Guys like Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns or Commanders edge Chase Young. A Twitter follower brought up a good one Wednesday and I decided to look into it.
Ok. First and foremost we need to start here on Donald. When he signed his latest deal, he and the Rams agreed to include a no-trade clause. The ball is in Donald's court here. He can waive that clause if he wants to play in Detroit or he can decided not to if he just wants to stay in Los Angeles and retire a Ram. So whatever happens, that's one of the obstacles to get around.
Outside of that, everything makes sense. Donald has a connection with Lions GM Brad Holmes and Assistant GM Ray Agnew. Both were a big part of most of his time with the Rams. The Lions are also a team on the upswing with a good coaching staff and solid culture that matches the type of player that Donald is. That would help with the sell on being traded here.
The Rams are also kind of a middling team at the moment and there looks to be a rebuild on the horizon at some point. They can free up a lot of money by trading Donald.
If the Rams were to trade Donald at the deadline, they would take $13.5 million off their books this season and they wouldn't have to pay him $10 million in 2024. They would have to pay $41 million in dead cap though. Otherwise all the numbers are pretty doable.
In terms of what the Rams might want for him, It would probably be a lot. It seems like the Lions wouldn't mind spending a lot if the player was right. This is a player that would definitely be right.
A first round pick would have to be involved and I would guess that two more picks would have to go as well. Maybe something like the 2024 first-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick and the 2024 third-round pick the Lions got in the T.J. Hockenson trade. Maybe even more than that or more expensive than that.
In the end, I don't think this one happens. I don't think Donald would wave his no-trade clause. Not because he doesn't want to play in Detroit. I don't think he wants to play anywhere else. He probably wants to retire a Ram and the Rams probably want that too.
Never say never though.
A look at the Lions future draft assets ahead of the deadline
We are now less than a week away from the NFL trade deadline. Things have been quiet on all fronts for pretty much every team in the league so far. The Detroit Lions included. Typically when a trade is made in the NFL, it almost always involves draft picks. It's just part of the game. […]
