Motown Bombers

Hopkins is available and the Lions cleared cap space....

We will always have this moment:

I know there was talk the longer he went unsigned the more likely it was he would return to Detroit but I never thought that was the case. If there was mutual interest, they would have gotten the deal done a while ago.

I can't wait for the reactions when Richardson has Charlie Batch level accuracy and Carter ends up the 2nd coming of Nick Fairley.

They didn't need to renegotiate Vaitai's contract when they did. They could have done it after the draft, after June 1st or during training camp. They had plenty of cap to get them through so it is curious why they cleared it now.

They are going to sign another backup QB. Sudfeld just wasn't cutting it on his kneel downs. He'll be third string clipboard holder and QB2 will be blowout kneel down QB.

Well this isn't going to satisfy the backup QB crowd.

They said the same thing about Fairley. He wasn't going to get away with being lazy playing next to Suh.

I remember when work ethic questions dogged Nick Fairley. The belief was that working next to Suh would motivate him and make him work harder. It didn't. This is the draft that can set up the Lions to be the class of the NFC North for the next several years and NFC contenders. Probably not the time to take risks.

Speaking of Buckner, the Colts would probably be more than willing to trade him and he would cost less than Simmons.

I see one of two options, Lions trade the 6th pick for Tennessee's 11th pick and Simmons plus some late round filler on either side, or the Lions trade 18 for Simmons and maybe some other late round pick. Chicago went 1 to 9 and got two 1sts plus DJ Moore and other picks. Simmons is more valuable than Moore but you also aren't getting an additional 1st rounder so it seems fair.

The draft should have been in Detroit last year. I have no interest to go see the Lions draft 32nd.

Lions have the 4th most cap space remaining and more than they started with despite signing multiple free agents.

Another former Lion heading to New York.

Lions have projected $86 million in cap space next year which would be the 11th most. Some of those guys you will just have to move on from. Decker being one. There's still 3-4 years before Hutchinson's new contract would kick in. Simmons probably gets a 4-5 years deal now so not much overlap there. Ragnow is under contract through 2026. His contract is already factored into future cap projections.

I brought up the Eagles earlier when comparing them to the Lions and how they are similar. The Eagles traded the 18th pick last year to Tennessee for AJ Brown.

Simmons cap number is $10.7 million. They can easily fit that in or when giving him an extension reduce that number and give them the ability to re-sign Chark.

Tennessee may prefer the 18th pick so they can package it with the 11th pick to Arizona for the 3rd pick. Either way there are options beneficial to both teams.

You're not really trading two firsts for Simmons. You're also getting the 11th pick back from Tennessee. Carter is a complete unknown and may not even be available. For a team that wants to take the next step, give me the proven stud.

I would be down for that. Tennessee is in a curios spot. They sit at 11 and may be thinking QB. Could something be worked out where they move to 6 and include Simmons?

They still have other options if they really want to add even more. Restructuring Goff would give them a good chunk of cap. Restructuring Ragnow would open up a lot of cap. I don't think they want to go the restructure route unless necessary but they could easily fit say Chark and Wagner or possibily go after Hopkins.

All these players taking pay cuts and Calvin Johnson still wants the $1 million he didn't earn.

I get real Eagles vibes from this team. The Eagles started 2-5 last year. They finished 7-2 to go 9-8. They add some veterans in the offseason like AJ Brown, Bradberry, and our very own CGJ. They were the trendy pick and it hinged on whether Hurts could get them there or not. The Lions started 1-6 this year. They finished 8-2 to go 9-8. They had strong free agency adding veterans like Sutton, Montgomery and CGJ. The Lions are the trendy pick. Do they come out of the gate strong like the Eagles?

They saved more cap space than if they cut them.