Trade proposal sends star edge rusher from division rival to Detroit Lions

For a segment of Detroit Lions' fans, 4-1 feels so good that general manager Brad Holmes should not be looking to add anyone to the mix between now and the Oct. 31 trade deadline. And when I say anyone, I mean anyone--even if that someone upgrades an area or fills a depth need.

Which isn't to say the Lions will do anything over the next two-plus weeks. But to rule it out completely is a stretch, and hypothetical trade proposals are hard to ignore right now.

This summer ESPN's Bill Barnwell had a ridiculous take on the Lions' pivot from Jamaal Williams to David Montgomery, saying it was a downgrade. But leaving that bad take behind, his recent list of trade proposals offered up an interesting one for the Lions.

NFL trade rumors: Proposal sends Lions a star edge rusher from divisional rival

Trades within the same division are no longer taboo, as if they ever should have been. Lions general manager Brad Holmes and Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah are clearly not afraid to do it, having done it twice since the 2022 draft.

With that, here's what Barnwell's Vikings-Lions trade proposal looks like.

Here's Barnwell's general case for the Vikings to trade Hunter.

"Hunter is probably the best player with a realistic chance of being moved by this deadline. The 28-year-old standout has six sacks and a league-high nine tackles for loss through five games this season. He landed a one-year, $17 million deal after a hold-in this summer, but with free agency looming and the Vikings repeatedly reticent to offer him a new deal, he is likely to leave the organization in the offseason.”

The 2025 third-round pick would be conditional in Barnwell's proposal, perhaps on something related to Hunter's health or his signing a multi-year deal with the Lions. The deal he signed this offseason has 2024 and 2025 has void years. And as Barnwell noted, the contract "drama" around Hunter and the Vikings is not new.

At 1-4 the Vikings may be in sell-mode, and a loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday would presumably get them all the way there in short order. Houston, a 2024 second-round pick and a conditional third in 2025 is a reasonable price to pay for Hunter, and there's a non-zero chance the Lions have him somewhere on their radar before the trade deadline.