The Lions should make a trade for a receiver they just spent a week watching, here's the cost
We've outlined over and over again why the Detroit Lions need to make a move at receiver and as time has gone one, the Lions seem to be seeing that as well. That's why it would be shocking if the Lions don't make a move for a receiver ahead of the season. One very intriguing […]
We've outlined over and over again why the Detroit Lions need to make a move at receiver and as time has gone one, the Lions seem to be seeing that as well. That's why it would be shocking if the Lions don't make a move for a receiver ahead of the season.
One very intriguing option just spent a week presenting itself to the Lions. We're talking about Giants' receiver Darius Slayton. There was a lot of talk about Slayton getting traded during the offseason and the Lions have already said that Brad Holmes, Ray Agnew and the Lions scouting department would be keeping an eye on Giants players during joint practices.
The reason Slayton could be moved is because he's heading down the depth chart in New York. Right now Malik Nabers, Jalin Hyatt and Wan'Dale Robinson are all ahead of him on the depth chart. That doesn't mean that Slayton can't play anymore, it just means the Giants are more interested in their younger players right now.
Slayton has what the Lions need right now. They need a bigger bodied guy that can make contested catches and can separate down field. That's why they keep putting guys like Daurice Fountain and Kaden Davis in that third spot. Both guys have a chance to make the roster, but nobody is pulling ahead for the starting job.
So here's the big question, what would it cost the Lions to make this deal? The answer is not a lot at all. When you consider what guys like Keenan Allen and Jerry Juedy went for this offseason, you come up with a proposal like this:
Lions get: Darius Slayton
Giants get: 2025 fouth-round pick
From a contract side of things, the Lions would only wind up having to pay $3.6 million in base salary. Maybe a little more if he hits incentives.
Slayton is a free agent after this season, but the Lions don't have to lock him down with an extension if they want to. It could be a very cheap year long rental that can put out some good numbers and play a strong role for a Super Bowl contender. Then he can either stay in Detroit or hit free agency next March.
The one sticking point comes from the Giants side. While he isn't high on the depth chart, they just reworked his contract in June to prevent a holdout in OTAs and that adds to the dead money they would have to pay if they traded him. That's likely to give the Giants some pause on making a move, even if the amount they'd pay in dead money wouldn't be a ton.
What that could do is make the Giants want to ask for a little bit more to offset the cost and that why we went with a fourth-round pick instead of a fifth. It would be a good move for the Lions either way you spin it.
We'll see what the Lions do soon, but this is one to keep an eye on for sure.
From tryouts to working with the first team, another Lions receiver has a real shot to make his first 53-man roster
This Detroit Lions receiving corps has been a hard one to figure out. The team has the usual suspects with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond. Then there's guys like Daurice Fountain and Maurice Alexander that are making a name for themselves this offseason. Fountain especially, he's laying some claim to that WR3 […]
