The Detroit Lions and general manager Brad Holmes will look to reload during the 2025 offseason after the team fell short of its Super Bowl aspirations in 2024.
While the Lions don’t have to do much on offense, that is not the case on defense. The team may have to replace Carlton Davis, who is a pending free agent, and Detroit needs to add to its edge rush group.
After Aidan Hutchinson went down with a fractured tibia and fibula, the Lions did not have an effective pass-rush, which led to them being bounced in the divisional round by the Washington Commanders.
Za’Darius Smith performed admirably after being acquired via trade, but he’s also 32 and in the final year of his contract. The Lions re-signed Marcus Davenport for depth purposes and now should be looking for a long-term upgrade for Smith.
If the Lions want to make a big splash, Touchdown Wire’s Jarrett Bailey predicts the team will land Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson via trade.
“Aaron Glenn should be given a Nobel Prize for keeping the Lions’ defense afloat while they were practically a MASH unit with all their injuries,” Bailey wrote. “Entering this new era, the Lions should do all they can to create a deadly pass rush tandem of Aidan Hutchinson and another star. With Hendrickson on the trade block, and Cincinnati likely preferring to send him to an NFC team, Detroit should make this happen.”
Hendrickson and the Bengals were working on an extension, but that apparently did not go well, as the team has granted the four-time Pro Bowler permission to seek a trade.
“It’s been an honor and privilege to represent Cincinnati over the last four years,” Hendrickson told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “I love this city and organization. I appreciate the privilege of now being allowed to explore my options.”
Hendrickson is one of the elite edge rushers in the NFL. He’s tallied 17.5 sacks in each of the past two seasons and led the league in 2024. Since 2020, only two players have more sacks than the Bengals star: T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett.
Adding Hendrickson would give the Lions one of the most feared pass-rush duos in the NFL, which will go a long way toward helping Detroit get over the hump to a Super Bowl. They’d also be well-protected against injury, assuming they keep Smith, also.
When it comes to compensation, it’s probably going to take at least a Day 2 pick to acquire Hendrickson. The Lions have their second-rounders in 2025 and 2026, but their 2025 third-rounder went to the New York Jets in the Giovanni Manu deal. To be quite frank, if the Lions have to surrender a first-round pick, we’re on board.
From there, the Lions will have to give Hendrickson the extension he’s seeking, and that will probably run north of $30 million annually. Detroit might have to make a sacrifice down the road to get that done with the first-team All-Pro, but that’s a small price to pay for someone who will elevate the defense.
