If it were as simple to do as to say, Brad Holmes and the Lions would unleash several star pass-rushers alongside Aidan Hutchinson. Reminder: "Those guys are hard to find," Holmes said Tuesday at the NFL Combine. "That’s why it’s called a premium position."
"Those guys are hard to acquire, and it’s hard to keep them financially. Again, we have one that’s due for an extension and we’ve already gotten to the plannings stages about him already. So when you talk about adding another one, it’s like, well, can you financially add another one? Because you want to add the other one on top of everything else that you have, and that makes it tough."
In theory, the Lions would love to pair Hutchinson with Myles Garrett, who has requested a trade from the Browns and is seeking a new deal. In reality, it's not all that feasible for a team that has several more stars of its own to extend in the years ahead. Asked if the Lions can afford to acquire another star pass-rusher this offseason, Holmes said, "Probably not."
Hutchinson will command a major payday in the near future as he enters year four of his contract. Safety Kerby Joseph is in line for a hefty extension this offseason. Both of them will get top-of-the-market money at their respective positions.
The Lions also have to start thinking about new deals down the line for the likes of Jameson Williams, Brian Branch and Sam LaPorta, after committing about $540 million to extensions in the last year for Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell and Alim McNeill.
The argument in favor of trading for Garrett is that he could be the missing piece for a team on the precipice of winning the Super Bowl. But Holmes doesn't necessarily buy the notion that the Lions are "one player away" in a league where injuries can ruin the best-laid plans.
"I think I’ve been pretty clear about that, because ... what you’re definitely saying is, that one player’s not going to get hurt. Well, what if you have the attrition that we suffered this past season? Now does that one player make as much of a difference with all the (players) that you’re out? So you gotta look at all those different components," said Holmes.
Ideally, said Holmes, the Lions aren't just looking to add "one high-end (pass) rusher" this offseason. "We’d like to have three or four high-end rushers, but that’s just not always the reality of what you’re able to do."
"In all conversations that I have with GM’s throughout the year or when we’re bouncing (ideas) off each other, what you need or what we need to improve our roster, I can’t remember a time where pass-rusher has ever been omitted. That’s what everybody wants. So it’s not going to be ignored," he said.
But ultimately, "there’s just not a lot of those guys available."
When the Lions lost Hutchinson to a broken leg early last season, it wasn't like teams were lining up to help them replace him, said Holmes: "That doesn’t mean that other teams are going to say, 'Hey, we have a star pass rusher. I know you lost one, but would you like to have this one?'"
"No," said Holmes. "That’s a star pass-rusher for that team and they’re trying to win games. And it’s not just the trade deadline. It’s free agency and during the year."