ESPN is reporting that Dre' Bly wants out of Detroit and the Lions have given him permission to seek a trade. He apparently feels the defensive scheme in place does not suit his skills in man-to-man coverage and in fact his interception numbers dropped to their last point since 2002.
Bly will be a free agent after next season and if he's unhappy, the Lions clearly do not want to lose him for nothing. Now, while there have not been any rumors floated yet, what would people think about dealing for him (assuming we could work out a contract extension), as opposed to signing Nate Clements. I guess it comes down to how much money Bly wants and what a trade would cost us. Ignoring the trade aspect, if Bly could be extended for less than Clements, is a trade worth it? He would give us a veteran, but young, shutdown corner to pair with Shawntae Spencer.
Obviously this is just a shot in the dark considering how often trades happen with players of this magnitude. Due to the salary cap and trying to find comparable talent, few major trades happen, so the odds are certainly slim. However, it is something worth playing around with. Bly is due to make $4.2 million with a cap hit of $5.5 million, and considering our cap space that's no big deal for 2007. We would certainly have to see beyond that.
Considering the transition to the 3-4, would you want Dre Bly or would you rather try and sign Nate Clements or Asante Samuel? If you would be open to trading for Bly, what would you give up in a trade for him? We don't have the talent to make a deal, but we do have the draft choices. We've moved past simply needing bodies so one could say we can afford to deal multiple picks for a single player.
Thoughts?