A massive trade proposal has the Detroit Lions landing a future Hall of Famer in a blockbuster that would shake up the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Los Angeles Rams have already completed one major move this offseason, having sent All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins for the No. 77 selection and tight end Hunter Long.
There’s no indicator that Rams GM Les Snead is looking to trade away any more core players, but what if he wound up getting an offer that he couldn’t refuse for the game’s best defensive player in Aaron Donald?
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell proposed a hypothetical trade for each of the 31 first-round draft selections in 2023. Barnwell proposed the idea of the Lions sending the No. 18 and No. 55 picks to Los Angeles for the three-time Defensive Player of the Year:
“This team ranked last in pass defense QBR a year ago and rebuilt its secondary during the offseason, most recently by trading away 2020 top-five pick Jeff Okudah to the Falcons. Detroit could use the No. 6 pick on an edge rusher to team with Aidan Hutchinson and then use this choice to make a stunning splash for a future Hall of Famer.
Landing the Nos. 18 and 55 picks would give the Rams two key assets to use on help along the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. They would be on the hook for a whopping $41 million in dead money, but they could create space by restructuring their deals with Stafford or WR Cooper Kupp, and they would have way more space in total in 2024 and 2025. Donald would join the Lions on a two-year, $48.5 million deal. Implausible? A little, maybe. Fun to imagine Donald wrecking shop for a Lions team winning the NFC North? Absolutely.”
This is certainly an interesting proposal, and it does make sense for both sides on paper. The cap-strapped Rams once again lack draft capital after going all-in for a Super Bowl run, and it obviously paid off with a championship in the 2021 season.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
In Barnwell’s proposal, the Rams would clear much-needed cap space while acquiring draft picks for their retool. And with the Lions coming off their first winning season in seven years, it would make sense to make a win-now move by adding a player of Donald’s caliber.
There’s no firm indication that the Rams are actually looking to trade Donald. But again, Snead might have to think about it if he receives an offer similar (or greater) than the hypothetical one Barnwell put forward here.
