Packers: Lions could trade away Darius Slay this offseason
The Green Bay Packers’ division rivals could trade their best defensive player this offseason.
The Detroit Lions had one of the worst defenses in the NFL this past season, ranking dead last against the pass.
Now they might be moving on from their best cornerback, Darius Slay.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Lions have spoken to teams about potentially trading away Slay.
Lions have spoken with multiple teams about a potential trade for Pro Bowl CB Darius Slay, per sources. Any team that trades for Slay would have to compensate Detroit and Slay with a new deal. Other teams believe Slay will be traded this off-season, but Lions adamant on value.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 17, 2020
This would be significant news for the NFC North. We can safely assume the Lions wouldn’t be willing to trade Slay within the division and would likely prefer to agree a deal with an AFC team. Consider that good news for the Packers, who would no longer have to play against Slay twice a season.
Slay only just turned 29 and he is still playing at a high level. He is a three-time Pro Bowler and was named a first-team All-Pro in 2017. That season, Slay tied the league-lead in interceptions with eight.
It’s early days in the offseason but it feels like the NFC North will again be a battle between the Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears in 2020.
It’s difficult to know the direction the Lions are going in. Are they entering rebuild mode and plan to stick with Matt Patricia as head coach long term? Or are they a team hoping to bounce back with a healthy Matthew Stafford?
There have been rumors of Stafford also being traded this offseason, although that’s close to impossible considering the dead cap hit the Lions would face in 2020. But is a trade in the future possible? And will the Lions consider drafting a quarterback early?
Either way, it feels like the Lions don’t know whether they’re resetting and rebuilding, or trying to retool and get back into playoff contention. Trading Slay would suggest the former, but who knows?
All we can say for now is that by trading away Slay, the Lions defense would be taking another step back and would have a major need at cornerback.
Considering the Packers play them twice a year, I don’t think there will be too many complaints over here.