Should the Detroit Lions trade for Antonio Brown?

THE NEGATIVES

Let’s start with the risk staring the Detroit Lions in the face. Brown quit on the Steelers at the end of the season. Pittsburgh was in the conversation for a Super Bowl run this past year. But they ended up missing the playoffs entirely. How much did Brown contribute to that failure?

Since getting his last contract, there is a lot of talk about Antonio becoming somewhat of a diva. His position (wide receiver) tends to have a “prima donna” quality to it. And, for the Detroit Lions, this may not be the kind of guy they need in their locker room.

However, the bigger issue is that the Lions will have to give up a ton of capital to acquire Brown. Christian D’Andrea of “SB Nation” put out this trade for Detroit to acquire Antonio:

• 2019 First Round Selection (#8 overall)
• 2019 Third Round Selection (#89 overall)
  • from Philadelphia Eagles in trade for wide receiver Golden Tate
• Linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin

Most of the proposed trades look something like this, so the above example is a good starting point. Simply stated, that is just too much. The eighth overall pick should be a significant contributor this season on the defensive side of the ball – not on offense.

The Detroit Lions completely missed when they didn’t go after linebacker Khalil Mack. Two first round picks is an even heavier price – which the Chicago Bears happily paid to the Oakland Raiders – but a pass rusher like Mack is a much more dynamic acquisition.

Getting more weapons for quarterback Matthew Stafford doesn’t seem like the path towards victory. The Detroit Lions offense was awful in 2018, but the current crop of receivers and backs should be enough. If anything, the offensive line has bigger holes than the receiving corps.