Lions Linked to $12M Edge in Trade Proposal With Patriots

The Detroit Lions have heard it from the outside thousands of times by now and surely know it themselves: the defense needs more depth at the edge position.

At this point, it feels like almost a foregone conclusion that the team will work out something with defensive end Za’Darius Smith, for whom they traded ahead of the 2024 deadline and who tallied nine total sacks last year across stints with the Lions and Cleveland Browns.

Detroit has already watched the likes of free agent Matthew Judon, and others, ink deals elsewhere, while Cincinnati Bengals pass rusher and reigning NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson has been available via the trade market for weeks. Clearly the Lions don’t intend to swing big at the position, or at least haven’t been able to work out a deal yet, and general manager Brad Holmes has said publicly that the team and Smith’s representation remain in contact.

So bringing back Smith is essentially the best-case scenario for Lions fans itching for the team to make a move at one of the game’s premier positions, or at least it appears so as of Monday, August 25. But whether the team ultimately does or doesn’t reunite with Smith, it probably still needs more off the edge beyond the 33-year-old DE.

Bill Barnwell of ESPN believes there is a trade the Lions can execute with the New England Patriots for outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings that makes sense on both sides of the equation.

Anfernee Jennings Doesn’t Solve Lions’ Pass-Rush Issues, Does Provide Run-Stopping Reliability on Edge

The Lions are not lacking for money, with north of $48 million in available salary cap space currently at their disposal.

That said, the 28-year-old Jennings is relatively cheap. He is entering the second season of a three-year deal worth $12 million total and is actually less expensive than the $4 million annual average salary indicates because of bonuses the Patriots have already paid out.

“A former third-round pick by previous Patriots coach Bill Belichick, Jennings is a stout run defender on the edge who had nine quarterback knockdowns last season across 831 defensive snaps. He isn’t a great pass rusher, but he can still be a valuable part of a roster as an early-down edge defender,” Barnwell wrote. “Jennings is owed $2.5 million in 2025, about half of which is guaranteed. He doesn’t appear to be in new coach Mike Vrabel’s plans, but I like him as a fit in Detroit, where the Lions could stand to add a little more edge depth. Josh Paschal is [likely] to miss the first month of the season, and they can’t be sure of what they’ll get from Marcus Davenport, who has [played] just six games over the past two seasons because of injuries.”

In Barnwell’s proposal, the Lions would send the Patriots a sixth-round pick in exchange for Jennings and a seventh-round selection.

Bringing Back Za’Darius Smith, Healthy Aidan Hutchinson Would Anchor Thin Lions’ Edge Group

So Jennings doesn’t solve the edge-rushing issues in the Motor City, but he does add depth to an injury-prone — and thus unreliable — position group.

Bringing back Smith, who tallied 63 quarterback pressures last season, would go a long way toward addressing the pass-rush problems. And having Aidan Hutchinson back at full strength will give Detroit one of the best pure edge defenders/pocket disruptors in the sport.

It’s unclear whether that will be enough, and it certainly won’t be if the Lions face any serious injury issues at the position. However, the team drafted defensive end Ahmed Hassanein out of Boise State in the sixth round. He tallied 115 quarterback pressures and 22 sacks over his final two years in college and will perhaps be able to offer Detroit’s defense something meaningful during his rookie campaign.