$45 Million Edge Rusher Floated as Replacement for Lions' Aidan Hutchinson

The Detroit Lions suffered a major blow in their biggest win of the season when star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson broke his leg during a blowout victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6.

Hutchinson went immediately to a Dallas-area hospital for emergency surgery and will miss at least the remainder of the 2024 season.

Even without the NFL's current sack leader ( 6.5 ), the Lions remain among the most formidable teams in the league. However, replacing Hutchinson's impact is far from simple and may prove altogether impossible.

The fastest route to doing so, though, is probably a trade with the New York Jets for edge rusher Haason Reddick . The NFL Scouting Department at Bleacher Report floated the deal as an "add now" move for Detroit ahead of its Week 7 road matchup with the undefeated Minnesota Vikings .

"This has been brought up before, as the Lions could have used a second edge-rusher before Hutchinson's injury. Now that the team will be without its best defensive end for the rest of the season, it makes even more sense to strike a deal for Reddick," B/R wrote on Monday, October 14 . "The former Eagle and current Jet is looking for a new contract, [and] Detroit has nearly $30 million of cap space to give him a new deal, according to Over The Cap ."

Reddick is in the final season of a three-year, $45 million contract and is currently embroiled in a holdout in New York as he seeks an extension.

CAA recently dropped Reddick as a client, though ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that the outside linebacker has enlisted well-known agent Drew Rosenhaus to take over negotiations with the Jets.

The NFL's trade deadline is November 5, so if Reddick and the Jets can't work out a new contract, there should be at least some kind of movement on trade talks before then -- and the Lions make perhaps more sense than any other potential destination in the league.

Reddick, who turned 30 years old in September, has tallied at least 11 sacks in each of the past four seasons and has 58 career sacks to his name. He has also earned Pro Bowl honors in each of the past two years.

Related: Haason Reddick Breaks Silence on Jets Holdout With Cryptic Message