It’s a weird week to be the Detroit Lions. Coming off maybe the most impressive, convincing wins of the season, the vibes around the team aren’t nearly as high as they probably should be – which is what happens when you lose one of, if not the, best players on your team.
The rest of the Lions’ season looks considerably more bleak after Sunday’s Week 6 win. Hutchinson’s leg injury – which required immediate emergency surgery – means the Lions’ will be without the presumptive Defensive Player of the Year for the rest of season. As a team captain and leader, his absence will obviously be felt, but the injury is especially brutal for Detroit’s defensive front – Hutchinson had more sacks (6.5) than everyone else on defense combined.
Hutchinson was so singularly responsible for the Lions’ pass rush that you’d imagine that Detroits’ front office can’t just sit around and pretend that ‘next man up’ is a good, or even acceptable, answer. The good news? The Lions don’t even have to worry about that. One of the best pass rushers in football is just waiting to be traded for, and on Tuesday, said pass rusher’s team declared themselves open for business.
Maxx Crosby, come on down. The Raiders made it clear on Tuesday that their star players are, in fact, available to be traded for, which opens the door for the Lions to make the most impactful trade we’ve seen in years.
It doesn’t take long to realize just how perfect of a trade this is. So rarely does a trade/injury replacement actually fill the void, but this is one of those rare cases: not only are Crosby’s box score numbers (5.5 sacks) are similar, the advanced stats are equally comparable (Hutchinson 1st in Pass Rush Win Rate, Crosby 5th). Crosby has 57.5 sacks through six seasons with the Raiders, averaging a little over 9.5 per season. If you can believe it, that’s exactly the same amount of sacks that Hutchinson is averaging per season.
On top of that all? Crosby’s from Michigan. He was born in Lapeer, was raised in Texas, but then moved back to play college at Eastern Michigan. What’s the best way to replace one of the best pass rushers in football that just happens to be from Michigan? Getting one of the best pass rushers in football that just happens to be from Michigan.
From a cap standpoint (booooooooo), it’d be tight. According to OverTheCap, the Lions currently have roughly $28 million in space. That is, of course, roughly what Crosby’s 2025 hit is. There’d be some complicated money maneuvering that’d have to happen, but that’s what GMs are for; it’s just money. And then next year, Crosby and Hutchinson together would be legitimately unfair. Make it happen, Dan Campbell.
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