There is one thing that the Detroit Lions need to solve more than anything else this offseason. That’s finding their next center. The problem is: how will they do that? At Lions GM Brad Holmes’ end-of-season presser, he discussed finding the Lions’ next center through free agency, the draft, or a trade.

The draft could present an opportunity if the Lions wind up signing or trading for an older player and want to prime their future guy. But this should not be the way they go to fix the problem now. In free agency, there are names like Tyler Linderbaum and Connor McGovern, but nobody actually expects them to hit the market in March. They should be signed to big deals before then. Then there’s Cade Mays, who is decent and would be a good move.

But the way to go might be to make a trade, and if the Lions go that route, there’s really only one trade that stands out.

Lions should consider trading with the New York Jets for Joe Tippmann

The Jets took Tippmann in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft to play center, and when he did, he played pretty well. Then the Jets added Josh Myers, and he took their center job, and that moved Tippmann to right guard.

The Jets moved him to right guard out of necessity. Their usual starter, Alijah Vera-Tucker, tore his triceps right before the start of the season and had to miss the whole year. He’ll be back in 2026 and is expected to reclaim his starting job. This will likely make Tippmann available unless the Jets want to move him to left guard. What they might be more interested in is seeing what they can get for him. Here’s what we think the deal looks like:

Lions get: Joe Tippmann
Jets get: 2026 fourth-round pick

This is a win/win for both teams. The Jets get another draft pick in a draft that will be very consequential for their rebuild, and the Lions get their starting center for 2026 and beyond. They also get a guy who is on a rookie deal for at least one more season.

What do the Lions get with Tippmann at center?

They get a guy who is still young and needs a little more time to develop on the job, but he has had elite-level run-blocking performances and some solid pass-blocking games, too.

There are some bad games in there that drag down the average, but man, there are some good games that show what he’s capable of when it comes to opening up holes. Jahmyr Gibbs is also a nice upgrade over Hall. In terms of passing blocking, Tippmann allowed 23 pressures and five sacks in 2024. So that needs to improve a bit for sure.

What might help Tippmann fully realize his potential is working with Hank Fraley and being part of an offensive line that is, frankly, better than the one he was on in New York.

There is still a lot of upside here. Ideally, he’s your center, and that’s that, but he also offers positional versatility. Tippmann had a good season at right guard in 2025. He helped out at right guard a little in his rookie season as well. We’ll see what happens.