Lions Could Still Pursue Trade for Trey Hendrickson
Mike Valenti sure knows how to stir the pot, doesn’t he? His take on trading Brian Branch for Trey Hendrickson lit up Detroit sports talk like a bonfire soaked in gasoline. On 97.1 The Ticket, Valenti didn’t hedge at all—he said, “I’m a yes. I’m not flippant about it, I love Brian Branch, but yeah, I’d do that deal. I’d trade my mother for a Super Bowl”.
That last line? Classic Valenti—dramatic, provocative, and guaranteed to rile up fans who see Branch as a cornerstone of the Lions’ future. But his argument isn’t without logic. Hendrickson is an All-Pro edge rusher who led the league in sacks last season, and Valenti sees him as the kind of game-changer who could push Detroit over the top.
He also pointed out the financial reality: Branch is still on his rookie deal, but Detroit already extended Kerby Joseph, and paying two safeties top-tier money might not be feasible long-term. From Valenti’s perspective, players are “production quotients”—commodities to be moved if the return is right.
Of course, Lions GM Brad Holmes has built this roster with a draft-first, development-focused approach. Trading away a young star like Branch would be a major philosophical shift. Valenti doesn’t think the team would actually pull the trigger, saying, “I think they’re happy paying increased prices and just staying good. And they’re happy ESPN talks about them”.
So now the question hangs in the air: Would you sacrifice a rising defensive star for a proven pass-rush monster in a win-now gamble? Or stick with the slow burn and hope Branch becomes a perennial Pro Bowler?
Lions Have Second-Best Odds to Land $21 Million NFL Sack Champion
The Detroit Lions must seriously consider the addition at least one more competent edge rusher this offseason, if not multiple — a fact not lost on Las Vegas oddsmakers.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Sunday, August 17, that the Cincinnati Bengals have reopened trade discussions with regards to All-Pro edge rusher and reigning NFL sack champion Trey Hendrickson.
“With contract talks at an impasse, the Bengals are listening to trade offers for perennial Pro Bowler Trey Hendrickson,” Rapoport posted to X Sunday afternoon. “It’s unclear if the NFL sack leader will be playing elsewhere in 2025, and a trade will be a real challenge. But time will tell.”
Not long after that report, DraftKings Sportsbook issued odds on Hendrickson’s next team: in other words, named his most likely trade suitors beyond Cincinnati. The Bengals remained an overwhelming favorite to hold onto Hendrickson at -450. After that, however, came the Carolina Panthers at +500 and the Lions at +800, making those organizations the two betting favorites to land Hendrickson if the Bengals do, in fact, trade him.
