Trade proposal has Lions acquiring $34 million Jared Goff insurance

The Detroit Lions are coming up on a critical season. Will they make a comeback, after falling from No. 1 in the NFC North to the bottom spot in just one year's time?

The pressure is certainly on general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell during the offseason to get this roster into shape, and they made progress when selecting a class of talented rookies in the 2026 NFL Draft.

But, they still have a need in their quarterback room. They have franchise quarterback Jared Goff, but the guys under him have never been solid for the Lions. Teddy Bridgewater and Luke Altmyer are behind Goff on the depth chart, but neither inspires confidence as a viable backup QB.

But, maybe there is a player the Lions can acquire via trade as insurance. That's the idea behind a fresh trade pitch bringing a promising quarterback to Detroit.

Detroit scores Jared Goff backup in ESPN trade pitch

In a piece out on Wednesday, Ben Solak of ESPN has the Lions making a blockbuster trade with the Colts. The pitch sees the Colts getting a 2027 fourth-round pick and the Lions getting Anthony Richardson Sr. and a 2028 seventh-round pick. Richardson is heading into the fourth and final year of his $34 million rookie contract and will go into free agency in spring 2027.

"General manager Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell tend to like quarterbacks with bigger bodies, so Richardson is a good fit," he notes in the piece. "Campbell is an elite motivator who might help light a new fire under Richardson, either as a backup who prepares the right way or as a spot starter in the event of a Jared Goff injury."

Richardson brings promise, but he's not necessarily shown any signs of being a franchise quarterback down the road. At best, this move would secure a Q2 for now and the future, though a Goff successor is still a long way off.