The 2024 NFL season is still a few days from reaching its end, but that hasn't stopped the Detroit Lions from already being linked to a couple of stars that could be available by trade during the offseason.
Those stars are Cooper Kupp and Myles Garrett.
Garrett recently announced that he had requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns while Kupp revealed that the Los Angeles Rams had told him they would try to trade him.
The reasons both players have been linked are pretty obvious. Kupp has previous experience being thrown to by Jared Goff during their time together with the Rams.
Meanwhile, Garrett fills an obvious need for the Lions, who need a talented pass rusher they can partner with Aidan Hutchinson
However, neither of these stars is the one the Lions should be targeting this offseason.
Kupp just doesn't really have a place on the roster. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams provide plenty of firepower at receiver while Goff also has Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs to throw to.
Garrett is more of a cost issue. The Browns don't seem to actually want to trade Garrett, so they'll need to get some serious compensation to give up the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
He's also likely to want a raise as edge rusher contracts continue to go up in value this offseason.
With those potential obstacles, the Lions should look to a star who has been the subject of plenty of rumors throughout the 2024 season, but has yet to actually request a trade.
Maxx Crosby should be the focus if the Lions want to make a blockbuster trade this offseason.
Crosby would be a step down from Garrett, but that comes with some benefits. The first is that he won't command the same price as Garrett, either to trade for him or if he wants a contract extension.
Crosby is coming off of a down year, where he only had 7.5 sacks for the Raiders, which should keep his value in check this offseason.
While the Browns will likely be looking for a pair of first rounders if they trade Garrett, Crosby's price should be more in the range of one first plus another pick in round two or three.
On top of that, Crosby is almost two years younger, which is important for a team whose Super Bowl window could stay open for a while given a lot of young talent on their roster.
The Raiders should also be more motivated to move Crosby than the Browns are to move Garrett.
The Raiders' roster is very low on talent. They don't have a WR1 after trading Davante Adams away. They don't have a quarterback. They don't have a running back. The offensive line has issues.
Their defense allowed the eighth-most points in the league and now they're set to have multiple starters from that defense hit free agency.
To make matters worse, a couple of meaningless wins at the end of the season dropped them to sixth in the draft order.
They need a lot of help and they don't have many assets they can move to get that help.
Trading Crosby could be the move that gets them the draft capital they need to start filling the myriad of holes on their roster and build around whatever QB they draft either this year or next year.
While I believe the Lions should be ready to go all-in this offseason to push for a Super Bowl with enough of their talent on reasonable contracts, they still need to do it in a responsible way.
They don't need the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. They could have next year's DPOY on their roster already in Aidan Hutchinson.
They do need another difference maker in their pass rush, but they need to find one while allowing themselves room to fill the other needs on their roster.
Crosby also fits the profile of the kinds of players Dan Campbell loves. He is a player from a small school who went from fourth rounder to NFL star.
The kind of grit it takes to carve out that career is a perfect fit for a Campbell team.
If the Lions are going to go the route of trading for a star this offseason, Crosby seems like both the best and most realistic answer for the team right now as long as the Raiders don't make the mistake of getting stubborn when they should be rebuilding.
