Dan Campbell’s team has won two straight NFC North titles, advanced to the 2023 NFC Championship Game, and finished as the No. 1 seed in the 2024 NFC, making the Detroit Lions one of the most formidable football teams in the past two seasons.
Detroit is still on the rise and will have another offseason to strengthen a roster that doesn’t have many urgent needs, despite their devastating divisional-round loss to the Washington Commanders.
The Lions still have some obvious vulnerabilities, particularly at wide receiver, despite general manager Brad Holmes’ outstanding work turning the team into an NFC powerhouse.
Detroit lacks elite receiver potential and output outside from Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Daniel Alameda of The Wright Way Network believes Detroit will make a blockbuster trade for Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, and the Lions should try to add another playmaker this offseason.
Los Angeles has relied on Kupp as a playmaker ever since he joined the league in 2017. In addition to recording two 1,000-yard seasons, the 31-year-old has amassed over 700 receiving yards in six consecutive seasons.
The best season for the 2017 third-round pick was in 2021, when he had one of the best wide receiver seasons ever.With 145 receptions for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns, Kupp won the triple crown and was named MVP of Super Bowl LVI.
Although Kupp has clearly suffered from injuries in recent years and isn’t the same player he was in 2021, he has nevertheless been a dependable safety net for Matthew Stafford and is a smart route runner who seldom drops passes. It’s unclear if Kupp will stay with the Rams.
The veteran said he intends to play football next season but isn’t sure if he’ll be in Los Angeles following the team’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round.
During the Rams’ season-ending open locker room session, Kupp remarked, “I think I have a lot of good football left in me.” “Next year, I’ll be playing football. I am aware of that. “Who knows what’s going to happen,” Kupp continued. “I have no control over that.
And we’ll see what it turns out to be. What that will look like, or anything like that, is beyond my clarity. I would certainly love to be in Los Angeles, but I’m not sure what that would entail.
The Lions should definitely try to sign the 2021 All-Pro if Kupp is put on the trade market.
Kupp would be an excellent wide receiver three, and the Lions have the means to make a trade with Los Angeles, even though the former Eastern Washington star’s finest days are over.
According to Over the Cap, Detroit is expected to have $57 million in cap space this offseason. With two years remaining on a $80 million contract extension he signed in 2022, Kupp shouldn’t scare Brad Holmes away because Detroit wants to contend for a Super Bowl right now and has plenty of salary space.
The Lions also ought to have enough draft capital to negotiate a deal with the Rams in order to acquire Cooper Kupp and bring him to the Motor City.
