Should the Lions trade for Haason Reddick after Aidan Hutchinson's injury?

The Detroit Lions are arguably the best team in the NFC and one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl this year. However, they suffered a massive loss in their blowout win over the Cowboys.

Star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson suffered a gruesome leg injury, a broken tibia. Hutchinson will be out for the rest of this season, given the recovery time for his injury is between three to six months post-surgery. With Hutchinson out, the Lions should be in the market for an edge-rusher, and if they hope to defend their NFC North title, it could be a smart idea for the team to explore a trade for disgruntled Jets pass-rusher Haason Reddick. 

Reddick, has been granted permission to seek a trade amid his holdout, and if the Jets are desperate to get the pass-rusher out, the Lions should be the first team to pounce on the opportunity to make a trade.   

The Jets acquired Reddick from the Eagles for a conditional 2026 third-round pick this offseason, and this holdout could have dropped his stock around the league, depending on who you ask. A theoretical trade could look something like the Lions receiving Reddick while sending late-round picks to the Jets, probably around the fourth round. 

Reddick, however, is still producing solid numbers when he is on the field, recording 27 sacks in his two years with the Eagles, which is just shy of the 28.5 sacks that Hutchinson has with the Lions in his two-and-half-year NFL career. 

On the other hand, a trade for Reddick is a big gamble by any team. The pass-rusher is still holding out, refusing to play without a long-term contract extension. Whether the Lions would be willing to offer Reddick that long-term contract is unknown.

While Reddick's numbers show that he would be a solid option for the Lions to fill in for the injured Hutchinson, there are very few who would be a 100% perfect fill-in for the pass-rusher. Hutchinson was leading the NFL with 7.5 sacks through the first six games of the season and has become the heartbeat of the Lions defense since being drafted in 2022. 

A trade for Reddick by any team, not just the Lions, is a massive gamble as one question will no doubt be asked, will he actually play? It seems that only time will tell.