Grade the trade idea: Lions jump the gun on possible big wide receiver addition

All offseason, the Detroit Lions committed to filling the void left by the departure of wide receiver Josh Reynolds with who they already had. It didn't work out, however it shouldn't have been very surprising.

Practice squad additions Tim Patrick and Allen Robinson are interesting, if nothing else. Time will tell if they turn into contributors this season. The Lions' offense should be fine if neither one does, but when head coach Dan Campbell mentioned Reynolds amid his calls for someone to step up you know it's a concern.

It's unclear if the Lions pursued trading for a wide receiver at any point during training camp or as roster cuts loomed. It feels like an oversight if they didn't, but maybe a deal just couldn't get done.

Depending on how things go into the season, the Lions could reignite interest in trading for a wide receiver. There'd be a strong argument, if things aren't going well weeks into a season with legit Super Bowl expectations, to make a notable deal to get one.

But that seems like a conversation that'll be better to have in like October, if circumstances dictate it.

Grade the trade proposal: Lions go all-in for a wide receiver

Trade speculation doesn't always have a sense for good timing though. Ian Valentino of The 33rd Team has offered some trade ideas that would be win-win for both teams before the 2024 season.

Let's get right to the one he had involving the Lions.

"Trade details: Lions acquire WR Davante Adams, Raiders acquire WR Jameson Williams, 2025 2nd-round pick"

"Everyone wants to see Davante Adams on the Jets, and the idea of pairing Aaron Rodgers with a familiar face in Adams makes sense. But the Detroit Lions are America's team right now, so putting the 31-year-old on the league's most fun offense is a better fit. Detroit should be all-in, and its WR2 situation isn't up to snuff for a Super Bowl run."

"Detroit's cap situation is healthy enough to absorb Adams' $16 million base salary right now, and then minor trimming in the future makes this a palatable deal. He has $0 in guarantees beyond this season, so a restructuring could also make his contract more favorable."

"In return, the Raiders clear off $17.5 million in 2024, then more than $36 million in 2025 and 2026. Taking a flier on Jameson Williams is what gets this deal across the finish line."

Adams made our list of bold trade targets for the Lions to address their wide receiver issue. That worked with the premise of the Raiders being a bad team, a clear-cut seller at the trade deadline and the Lions being compelled to make such a move. So making a trade for him, on the surface and even giving up a second-round pick, isn't a completely ridiculous notion.

One problem here is the timing, before the season. The other is giving up Williams, before the season starts. The Lions aren't going to give up on Williams yet, and it's a practical certainty they'll give him this full season to become what they hope. Trading him before the season starts, less than a week from now no less, makes no sense.

The broad concept of the Lions trading for Adams at some point over the next couple months is fine, but Valentino's idea falls apart incredibly quickly when he involves trading Williams and doing it before Week 1. So this trade idea gets the grade it deserves.

Grade: D+