The Detroit Lions could become buyers at the 2025 NFL trade deadline if they continue their winning ways throughout October, but would they go as far as to make a blockbuster trade to add a three-time Pro Bowler to their defense?
At least one NFL analyst seems to think there is a chance.
USA Today’s Nate Davis recently identified 10 players he believes NFL teams should monitor over the next several weeks ahead of the trade deadline on November 4 and suggested a corresponding “team to watch” for each of his suggested trade candidates.
Among his suggestions, Davis floated the possibility of the Lions trading to acquire three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans.
Detroit again appeared Super Bowl-caliber during Monday night’s win at Baltimore,” Davis wrote Wednesday in justification of the Lions targeting Simmons in a trade. But injuries and depth deficiencies on defense cost the Lions dearly in 2024, to say nothing of the fact that DE Aidan Hutchinson is likely to draw more and more double teams as the year goes on. What an inside-out combo he and Simmons would be if united.”
Jeffery Simmons Would Vastly Upgrade Lions’ DL
The Lions do not necessarily need to make a huge addition to their defensive interior.
Entering Week 4, they have two solid starters between veteran D.J. Reader and first-round rookie Tyleik Williams. They will also expectedly return starter Alim McNeill to the rotation later in the season once he has returned from his ACL injury. Realistically, that trio should give the Lions all the firepower they need at the defensive tackle spots.
If Simmons were to become available, though, the Lions would owe it to themselves and their Super Bowl ambitions to at least inquire about the Titans‘ asking price in a trade.
Simmons is one of the league’s top interior defensive linemen and is coming off one of his best seasons in 2024, tallying five sacks and 45 quarterback pressures in 16 starts. He also made the Pro Bowl roster for the third time in the last four years, underscoring his consistent dominance as both an interior pass rusher and a beefy run-stopper.
While acquiring Simmons would not come cheap, the Lions have the draft capital and available salary-cap space (roughly $28.9 million, per OTC) to make it happen if they feel his presence would push them over the edge as playoff contenders in the NFC.
Unfortunately, Simmons’ contract would likely create too many issues for the Lions.
The Lions are currently trying to reach an agreement with Hutchinson — their superstar defensive end — on a long-term contract extension, one that will expectably pay him in the upper echelon of the league’s pass rushers. That would become near-impossible if they added Simmons’ contract and his $20-plus million cap hits to their books.
Lions Seem More Likely to Target New DE in Trade
Simmons is an intriguing idea for the Lions in terms of impact players whom they could target at the NFL trade deadline, but they seem far more likely to pursue an edge rusher based on their roster needs through the first three weeks of the 2025 regular season.
Throughout the offseason, skeptics questioned whether the Lions had the right partner in place for Hutchinson on the opposite edge of their defensive line. The team had its opportunities to invest in free agency and the NFL draft, but Detroit opted instead to place its trust in Josh Paschal’s development and Marcus Davenport’s bounce-back.
Unfortunately for the Lions, the plan has backfired. Paschal landed on the reserve/non-football injury (NFI) list during the roster cutdown. Then, coming out of Week 2, the Lions lost Davenport to a chest injury that forced them to place him on injured reserve earlier this week. While both could return later on, it leaves the Lions lacking for now.
That’s why a trade could make sense for the Lions, if they find the right reinforcement.
The Cincinnati Bengals could present them with one option, if they are willing to part with veteran Trey Hendrickson after losing starting quarterback Joe Burrow to injury. They could also consider calling about a younger talent with more untapped potential, such as New York Giants former first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux.
The Lions must make all of their trades before 4 p.m. ET on November 4.
Lions Predicted to Make Blockbuster Trade for $94 Million Pro Bowl DT