Saints-Lions Mock Trade Cuts Ties With $52 Million Breakout Edge Rusher

The Saints and Lions might have the perfect framework to a trade...

Sep 14, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive end Carl Granderson (96) reacts after tackling San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones (not shown) with linebacker Demario Davis (56) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints have gotten off to as bad of a start as anybody could have imagined. They're one of the only winless teams left in football and their rebuild looks like it hasn't even started yet.

As a result, the Saints will likely be very aggressive sellers at the trade deadline. They could look to cut ties with veteran players like Alvin Kamara and Cameron Jordan, but they could also trade valuable stars like Chris Olave. At this point, it doesn't seem like anybody on the roster is safe from being traded for the right price.

Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated recently put together a blockbuster trade proposal that would send star Saints edge rusher Carl Granderson to the Detroit Lions in exchange for a third round pick. Granderson has been one of the better edge rushers in football this year and the Lions need help rushing the passer.

Carl Granderson could be the perfect trade target for the Lions

Sep 14, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones (10) is tackled by New Orleans Saints defensive end Carl Granderson (96) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

"The Lions always seem connected to available pass rushers. For the most part, they make it work with what they have the opposite of Aidan Hutchinson," Verderame wrote. "But you can never have enough pass rushers, and Detroit knows better than most teams after last year’s injury wave how quickly depth can disappear from the deepest positions. "

Granderson has been very good this year. He's recorded 4 1/2 sacks in four games, on pace for 19 sacks on the season. While this pace might not hold up, the talented pass rusher has been dominant at times.

The Lions desperately need to add more pass rush to their team as Aidan Hutchinson continues to work back from his devastating injury last season.

The Saints shouldn't be aggressively shopping Granderson, as he's one of their key defensive players, but if they can clear his money off the books and add a third-round pick, it might be worth a shot.

For the Lions, it wouldn't hurt to lose this third round pick if they feel like Granderson can come give them eight to 10 sacks over the rest of the season. That kind of production, paired with his contract running through 2027, would be very valuable to Detroit.

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