{"id":850006,"date":"2026-04-02T21:01:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T21:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/850006\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T21:01:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T21:01:16","slug":"lions-linked-to-jaw-dropping-trade-at-2026-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/850006\/","title":{"rendered":"Lions Linked to Jaw-Dropping Trade At 2026 NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t<img width=\"780\" height=\"439\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775163676_835_GettyImages-2235393944-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" alt=\"Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell.\"   decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes are getting pushback after a report from a former player.<\/p>\n<p>So far during the offseason,<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/detroit-lions\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Detroit Lions<\/a> general manager Brad Holmes has parted ways with several notable pieces, including the trade of David Montgomery to the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"Houston Texans\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/houston-texans\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"212775\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Houston Texans<\/a> in exchange for offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, along with the releases of <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/graham-glasgow\/\" title=\"Graham Glasgow\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"212783\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Graham Glasgow<\/a>, Taylor Decker (which came with some controversy), and Josh Paschal.<\/p>\n<p>And amidst the multiple free-agent signings that they\u2019ve made, there have been indications from both Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell that the work isn\u2019t finished yet.<\/p>\n<p>However, with 2026 <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"NFL\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"212776\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NFL<\/a> Draft quickly approaching, what are the chances that the Lions could part ways with one of their most notable names if it meant moving up 10 spots in the Draft? One NFL.com writer thinks it should happen.<\/p>\n<p>NFL.com\u2019s Eric Edholm Suggests The Detroit Lions Should Trade Sam LaPorta<\/p>\n<p>NFL.com Insider Eric Edholm has suggested that the Lions make a blockbuster move with the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"Washington Commanders\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/washington-commanders\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"212774\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Washington Commanders<\/a> that not only sees them deal away tight end <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/sam-laporta\/\" title=\"Sam LaPorta\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"212782\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sam LaPorta<\/a>, but also land the seventh overall pick in the upcoming Draft. The full proposal:<\/p>\n<p>Commanders Receive:<\/p>\n<p>2026 1st-round pick (No. 17 overall)<br \/>\n2026 6th-round pick (No. 205 overall)<br \/>\nTE Sam LaPorta<\/p>\n<p>Lions Receive:<\/p>\n<p>2026 1st-round pick (No. 7 overall)<br \/>\n2027 3rd-round pick<br \/>\nTE <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/ben-sinnott\/\" title=\"Ben Sinnott\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"212786\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ben Sinnott<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Take a look at what Edholm had to say about his suggested trade proposal:<\/p>\n<p>First off, I don\u2019t think LaPorta will be traded,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/2026-nfl-draft-projecting-win-win-trades-teams-should-make-in-round-1?campaign=nfl-np-af-pa-2018653&amp;affiliateId=21181&amp;affiliateCustomId=83224X1595658X696ad6925eb97d2f6df9ceddc4d01635&amp;clickId=5439417510\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">he began<\/a>. \u201cBut it wouldn\u2019t totally floor me if he was. LaPorta has been great, and losing him hurts Detroit\u2019s offense, but the big picture must be considered: LaPorta is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is coming off back surgery. George Kittle and Trey McBride reset the TE market last offseason with extensions that pay them each $19 million-plus per year, and that\u2019s before any extension has been struck for Atlanta\u2019s <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/kyle-pitts\/\" title=\"Kyle Pitts\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"212781\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kyle Pitts<\/a>. Can the Lions afford to pay LaPorta close to that level? Remember, they also must pay RB <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/jahmyr-gibbs\/\" title=\"Jahmyr Gibbs\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"212784\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jahmyr Gibbs<\/a> (two years left on his rookie contract, including a fifth-year option), LB Jack Campbell (on the same timeline as Gibbs) and S Brian Branch (one year left).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He continued:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBranch is recovering from an Achilles tear, which eliminates him as a trade candidate, and they have an extra year to get extensions done with Gibbs and Campbell. That means we can assume LaPorta is the most likely of the four to be dealt, remote as those chances might be. Sending Sinnott to the Lions softens the blow just a tad, as he remains a relative unknown, albeit an intriguing one to me. It\u2019s not hard to imagine why the Commanders would want LaPorta, especially with <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/david-blough\/\" title=\"David Blough\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"212785\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">David Blough<\/a> (who was on Detroit\u2019s practice squad LaPorta\u2019s rookie season) calling plays. Washington should still find a receiver or defensive help readily at No. 17.<\/p>\n<p>Why would Detroit move up to seven? I suspect to acquire a foundational left tackle. That position is their biggest remaining worry, and their guy might not last until 17. It would be a big risk, but a potentially smart one financially and football-wise, and Brad Holmes has never shied away from making waves in Round 1.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sam LaPorta Has Played His Entire NFL Career With The Lions<\/p>\n<p>LaPorta was selected by the Lions in the second round (34th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft, and has played his entire NFL career in the Motor City.<\/p>\n<p>So far, he\u2019s racked up 2,104 yards on 186 career receptions with 20 touchdowns.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/mwhitak2130318\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Michael Whitaker<\/a> Michael Whitaker is a sports journalist based in metro Detroit with nearly a full decade of experience with publications like Clutch Points and The Hockey News. He holds a Bachelor&#8217;s Degree in Journalism from Eastern Michigan University. <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/mwhitak2130318\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">More about Michael Whitaker<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Lions\n\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes are getting pushback after a report from a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":840164,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2071],"tags":[146,113,2506,7,147,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-850006","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-detroit-lions","8":"tag-detroit","9":"tag-detroit-lions","10":"tag-detroitlions","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-lions","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=850006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/850006\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/840164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=850006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=850006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=850006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}