Okay so today I wanted to figure out who the heck the Detroit Lions might trade next. Been hearing all this chatter online, figured I’d actually dig in instead of just yelling at the TV on Sundays.
First thing I did was grab my coffee – can’t do anything proper before my second cup. Sat down at my messy desk, fired up the laptop. Googled “Detroit Lions trade rumors”. Boom, way too much stuff popped up. Half of it seemed like folks just guessing wild, you know? Like trading Jared Goff back to the Rams for some magic beans.
Scrolled for a while. Got kinda frustrated. Needed a smarter way, maybe look at their roster? So I went over to Spotrac, that site’s usually good for contracts. Looked at who’s costing a lot but maybe not playing that much. Also checked who’s on the last year of their deal.
Found three names that kept popping up as possibilities, not just fan nonsense:
- Darnell Mooney (WR): Okay, hear me out. They signed him this offseason, but they drafted that kid, Jameson Williams, high. And Amon-Ra St. Brown is the clear #1. Mooney ain’t cheap, and if they need cap space or picks later… maybe? Feels weird trading a guy you just got, but the numbers kinda fit.
- Levi Onwuzurike (DT): This one hurt a bit. Liked him coming out. But injuries, man. Lots of injuries. Just hasn’t been able to stay on the field much. Drafted Alim McNeill recently too who’s balling out. Tough business, but if he shows anything early this season, maybe a contender needing depth gives a late pick?
- Ifeatu Melifonwu (S): This dude’s got all the tools. Size, speed. Every offseason it’s “This is his breakout year!” but then… inconsistency. New safety coach this year, but Kerby Joseph is looking legit. If he doesn’t grab a starting spot quick, could see them flipping him while he still has potential value.
Felt kinda cold doing this. Like playing fantasy football with real people. But hey, it’s the league. Started writing down why each move might make sense for the Lions: cap space, getting something before losing a guy for nothing, clearing room for younger players.
Honestly, the whole exercise left me feeling kind of bleh. Reminded me of that awful stretch of seasons, maybe 2019? Just felt endless. Remember sitting in my freezing cold basement apartment – place was practically falling apart – eating cheap ramen, watching them lose again. Would get so mad at the losses, yelling at the screen. Looked back at old texts complaining about Matt Patricia. What a dumpster fire.
Made me realize I was using that team, their struggles, to vent about everything else going wrong back then. My crappy job situation, car breaking down constantly, relationship on the rocks. Focusing so much energy on “why are they so bad?” was easier than asking “why is MY life feeling so bad right now?” Felt like yelling about the Lions kept the bigger, scarier stuff quiet for a few hours every Sunday. Such a dumb distraction, but man, I clung to it hard those few years.
So yeah, trying to predict trades feels like the flip side of that old misery. Less painful for sure, but still kinda disconnected and harsh. Fun to speculate, but reminds me that when things are going good – like now with this Lions team actually feeling hopeful? – I spend way less time obsessing over this junk. Weird how that works.
