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The Detroit Lions might not be set to make any big moves this offseason, but that hasn’t stopped folks from pondering what such moves could look like for the team if they were to play out.
One of the bigger potential deals that could happen revolves around a potentially disgruntled Baker Mayfield at quarterback. While the Lions have not been mentioned as a team seriously interested in the quarterback, others have been connecting some of the dots and wondering if the team could make sense for a deal.
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What would such a deal look like? Until now, there hasn’t been much of a look at the specifics of that, but Bleacher Report looked at some of the possible landing spots and trades for Mayfield in a piece by writer Alex Kay. Kay had Detroit on the list as a potential destination for Mayfield, and also included thoughts about what a possible trade package would look like. His speculated cost to land Mayfield in the Motor City wasn’t steep at all.
Kay wrote that the Lions should be interested in Mayfield because of how he could change the dynamic for the team, and even contented the Lions should find a way to restructure Jared Goff’s contract so that his cap hit could be reduced. Then, by adding Mayfield, the Lions would be getting a player that could help them in turning things around with some solid pieces on offense. As Kay wrote, “if Mayfield is healthy, he’ll immediately elevate this offense and could help turn some of Detroit’s losses—the team fell by one score in six games last year—into victories.”
Kay had Mayfield going to Detroit for their 66th pick in the third-round in the deal projection. Overall, it’s a pretty low price for a starting quarterback as he points out, especially one with some upside like Mayfield has.
It would be interesting to see if the Lions would be buyers in Mayfield at a price point like this.
How Lions Could Facilitate a Potential Mayfield Trade
The Lions wouldn’t necessarily have to move on from Jared Goff if they wanted to acquire Mayfield, but it would make the most sense to do so. As a result, the team might have to use another squad as part of a three-way trade if the Browns didn’t want to take Goff back in a potential Mayfield deal. Detroit could trade one of their two third-round picks in the deal as is hinted to in the Bleacher Report piece. They could also hope to find another team to take Goff off their hands in a separate trade entirely after landing Mayfield if a deal was to occur.
Detroit might not have to give up much to land Mayfield, but there’s no guarantee that the Lions would make that trade happen anyway. The team’s front office seems bought into Goff, especially considering Brad Holmes helped draft him in Los Angeles and bring him to Detroit. Holmes has maintained that he believes in Goff, especially after his solid finish to the 2021 season which featured 10 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions for the quarterback after Thanksgiving.
Still, acquiring Mayfield in Detroit would likely come down to working the finances with Goff or finding a willing taker for him on the open market.
Mayfield’s Stats & Highlights
Since coming into the league in 2018 out of Oklahoma as a Heisman Trophy winner, Mayfield has played solidly for Cleveland, and has helped shatter some past records which many folks believed would never be broken by the Browns. Notably, Mayfield won Cleveland’s first playoff game in 23 years in 2021 when he beat Pittsburgh on the road. Aside from that, his statistics have been up and down in his career. Mayfield has put up 14,125 passing yards, 92 touchdowns and 54 interceptions. Here’s a look at some of his best work on the field so far in the pros:
There’s no question Mayfield is a talented player. There’s also no question he has a few holes in his game and things that can be improved upon. Whether or not the Browns want to move on remains to be seen, but if they do, the Lions could well be a team that gets a call thanks mostly to the John Dorsey connection and their perceived future needs at the spot.
It would not be something to bet on, but if the asking price was a third-round pick, it would be interesting to see if the Lions would bite.
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