5 edge rusher trade targets for the Detroit Lions not named Myles Garrett

The idea sort of came about as last year's trade deadline approached, but in light of his trade request to kick off Super Bowl week it ramped up in-kind. The Detroit Lions need a viable edge rusher to pair with Aidan Hutchinson, and Myles Garrett wants out of Cleveland as he and the Browns' organization are clearly not aligned about the future.

While it would behoove Lions general manager Brad Holmes to get involved in any trade discussions about Garrett, and a deal could broadly be more palatable than the "Buzz Killingtons" about it think, it's still patently unlikely the Lions will give up what it'll take to get Garrett. And the Browns will have to budge off their stance about not trading him (it's easy to suspect they eventually will).

So let's move beyond the idea the Lions could/should trade for Garrett, and look to some more realistic possibilities on the trade market.

5 more realistic than Myles Garrett edge rusher trade targets for the Detroit Lions

5. Bradley Chubb, Miami Dolphins

Chubb missed the entire 2024 season after suffering a major right knee injury late in the 2023 season (torn ACL, meniscus and patella tendon). The Dolphins clinging to slim playoff contention as his 21-day activation window expired may have played a role in giving up on him returning late, but head coach Mike McDaniel dismissed that idea.

Chubb had the all-around most productive season of his career with Miami in 2023 (11 sacks, 73 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, six forced fumbles and 70 quarterback pressures), and he had good numbers in 2022 (split between the Denver Broncos and the Dolphins after a trade.

Along with having just missed a full season, Chubb has three years left on his contract. But all he has left for guaranteed salary is $10 million for this year that is guaranteed only for injury (according to Spotrac). The Dolphins have said they expect him back, and trading or releasing him before June 1 would give them a lot of dead money and very little cap space gained.

All in all, the Dolphins may want to make room for some fresh options in their edge rusher mix and the most disposable piece looks to be Chubb. He surely would not cost much in a trade.

4. Jadeveon Clowney, Carolina Panthers

To put it plainly, the soon-to-be 32-year old Clowney is not a fit with the timeline of the situation in Carolina as he enters the final year of a two-year deal. He dropped from 9.5 sacks in 2023 to 5.5 this past season, as his overall pass rushing numbers fell off over three fewer games, but his pass rushing grade from Pro Football Focus (73.2) was still top-30 among edge rushers as he continued to be a solid run defender.

Just $2 million of Clowney's $8.525 million salary for 2025 is fully guaranteed (according to Over The Cap), and he has compensation tied up in workout bonus ($200,000) and a $1.275 million per game roster bonus. Trading him would clear a notable amount of cap space for the Panthers, and an acquiring team could probably get him for a Day 3 draft pick.

It's easy to see Clowney's name and declare him an underachiever after all the hype that followed him as the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft. But he's actually had a pretty solid (if somewhat well-traveled) career, with Pro Football Reference offering comps like Willie McGinest, Osi Umenyiora, Jason Pierre-Paul and Leonard Little). The Panthers would most likely trade him to a contender, and shy of a reunion with the Ravens the Lions would be a nice fit.

3. Cameron Jordan, New Orleans Saints

Jordan's peak is inching further and further away with each passing year, and he played a career-low 565 defensive snaps at 35 years old this past season (48 percent share of the Saints' defensive snaps). But he has still only missed two games in 14 seasons, and 2024 was the first time since 2014 he was not graded out by PFF as a top-50 edge rusher overall.

With Kay Adams on "Up And Adams" during Super Bowl week, Jordan made it clear he is not looking to be traded.

"I’m not asking for a trade from anywhere. I’m black and gold forever", Jordan said.

Jordan has one year left on his contract, before four void years the Saints used to seemingly extend the pain of his signing bonus proration as long as humanly possible. The remaining $11 million of his $12.5 million 2025 base salary becomes fully guaranteed on March 15 (according to Over The Cap), which then makes a trade more palatable for the Saints as a post-June 1 move.

The one thing Jordan does not have on his resume is a Super Bowl ring. While his "black and gold forever" stance is admirable, he has to realize he's not going to get a ring in New Orleans. One notable past coaching tie that existed in Detroit is of course no longer there (Aaron Glenn), but Dan Campbell is still around and new offensive coordinator John Morton was on Sean Payton's staff in New Orleans for two years (2015 and 2016).

Jordan is definitely more name than actual game at this point. But he's a veteran leader who would be a great culture fit with the Lions, and that has as much (if not more) value as whatever he can still bring to the table on the field.

2. Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders

The Lions trading for Crosby has felt about as unlikely as them trading for Garrett, with him consistently brushing off wanting a trade and seeming to be renewed by the Raiders hiring Pete Carroll as head coach. But the situation in Las Vegas is going to be a difficult climb, with three 2024 playoff teams in the division and the effort to find a quarterback is now being taken on by a new regime.

Crosby is of course a Michigan native and an Eastern Michigan alum. He has also said if he could play for a team other than the Raiders (perish the thought) it would be the Lions. Then we have this update from Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.

"While the hiring of Super Bowl winner Pete Carroll was a step toward stability, the Raiders still don't have a franchise quarterback and have a ton of work to do to field a competitive roster. Trading Crosby for a bounty of picks would be one way to expedite that process, and Crosby might welcome the change, particularly if it's to a playoff team where he knows people (e.g. Green Bay)."

The specific mention of the divisional rival Packers certainly sticks out there. But the Lions are also a playoff team, and Crosby has a friend (former Lions offensive tackle T.J. Lang) who's the sideline reporter for Lions' games on the radio.

Crosby definitely knows what he's doing when he posts on social media, and he dropped this on Twitter on Super Bowl Sunday to stir up trade buzz for some people.