ESPN's Schefter: Lions Should Trade Calvin Johnson To Panthers
By Ashley Scoby
@AshleyScoby
ESPN's Adam Schefter went galloping through dream world Monday, proposing five NFL trades that should (but won't) happen before Tuesday's deadline.
A busy trade deadline in the NFL is rare, but that hasn't stopped Lions general manager Martin Mayhew from declaring the team "buyers." But Schefter has an alternative idea for him.
Plenty of trade rumors have floated around involving Lions receiver Calvin Johnson. Not only is Megatron an aging receiver, but he would also inflict a sizable cap hit on any team that traded for him. He's still the highest paid at his position in the league, and makes more than $16 million a year.
Schefter's plan includes trading Johnson to the Carolina Panthers – an idea that former NFL linebacker Bart Scott mentioned last week as well. In return, according to Schefter's scheme, Detroit would get second and fourth round picks to start rebuilding its team with.
The Panthers, who are actually in legitimate competition for a playoff spot out of the NFC South, would get an experienced receiver to pair with quarterback Cam Newton. And the Lions would get at least a little grain of hope for the future.
No matter what Schefter, or anyone else proposes, Mayhew laughed off the idea of trading Johnson (or quarterback Matthew Stafford) last week.
"If we had 22 Matthew Staffords we would win a championship every single year, and same thing with Calvin Johnson," Mayhew said. "Both of those guys are very important to what we're doing as a franchise – great people off the field, great teammates, and both of those guys have Hall of Fame potential. To say that we should move those guys doesn't make a whole lot of sense."