The Detroit Lions ultimately ended up standing pat ahead of the trade deadline on Tuesday, with their lone move seeing them acquire safety Andre Cisco in a deal with the New York Jets. For much of the season, it has been clear that the Lions need help in their secondary, which is why adding Cisco was such a shrewd move for the team.
While the Lions could have made another move to bring a cornerback to town, adding Cisco for a sixth-round pick in the 2028 NFL Draft was a good piece of business, as there isn’t much risk involved for the team. As it turns out, though, the terms of this trade are actually different than what they were initially believed to be, and it makes this deal look even better for Detroit.
New Terms of Lions’ Andre Cisco Trade, Revealed
For much of the season, the Lions have been playing without their starting safety duo of Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph. Branch recently made his season debut, but Joseph still isn’t ready to go, as he won’t be traveling with the team to Germany for its Week 10 action. As a result, adding some secondary was a must for this team.
That’s where Cisco comes into play. A third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Cisco spent the first four years of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars before finding his way to the Jets. As the season has unfolded, though, Cisco’s usage on defense decreased, which led to New York being willing to part ways with him ahead of the trade deadline.
The logic for this trade from the Lions’ perspective isn’t too hard to see, as Cisco will come in and provide an extra layer of depth at the safety position at the very least. The price makes it worthwhile, too, as Detroit is actually only parting with a 2029 sixth-round pick for Cisco instead of a 2028 sixth-round pick, which was what was initially reported.
“The terms of the Jets-Lions trade for S Andre Cisco have been changed. Instead of receiving a 2028 6th-round pick, the Jets will now receive a 2029 6th-round pick,” Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team shared in a post on X.
Lions Hoping Andre Cisco Can Carve Out a Role for Himself on Defense
Detroit is in win-now mode, so parting with a 2029 draft pick (that is in the sixth round, nonetheless) isn’t something that anybody is going to get too worried about. Cisco could wind up not panning out, and nobody would really bat an eye. However, now that he’s in town, the team clearly has some big plans for him moving forward.
Cisco could start alongside Branch right away in Week 10, as the Lions will be highly motivated to pick up a win against a dangerous New England Patriots team so that they can remain on pace in the wildly competitive NFC North division. Kickoff for this contest is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, and all eyes will be on Cisco to see what his role with his new team looks like.
Lions Make Unexpected Change to Andre Cisco Trade With Jets