So here's where we're sitting with the Detroit Lions right now. There's this feeling in the air that the Lions need to make a huge move on the edge to help Aidan Hutchinson and win the Super Bowl in 2025.
Right now the moves on the table are Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby. The Lions could absolutely do those moves and be in a position to win the Super Bowl and nobody would blame them. The problem you run into is that you then have to find a way to pay those players while also looking to keep the players you want and you of course lose the draft assets too.
There might be a way that the Lions could get a high-impact player without having to lose draft assets or tie up a bunch of future money and that is going the Khalil Mack route.
Mack is on the older side at 34-years-old, but his production has not taken much of a dip at all. In 2024 he had a Pro Bowl season where he 49 pressures and seven sacks. It was a bit of a dip after a big 2023 season, but he also played 317 fewer snaps.
This is still a very good player that can work in with Za'Darius Smith and whoever the team drafts and can help the Lions win it all in 2025 without the team having to compromise the future.
What's the cost? According to cap expert Joshua Quiepo, the expected contract projection for a Mack deal would be a two-year deal worth $45 million. That's not a bad deal at all.
The Lions could make half of that guaranteed and get him off the books by the time they need to sign Sam LaPorta, Brian Branch, Jack Campbell, and Jahmyr Gibbs to new deals in 2026.
The reality is that Mack is not Garrett or Crosby, but he's as close as you can get if you want to make sure that you don't interrupt your quest for sustained success while also trying to load up for a Super Bowl win.
