Trade rumors can be wild, but Rico Beard, co-host of 97.1 The Ticket, took it to another level. He supported a suggested proposal that considered trading Amon-Ra St. Brown for a Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive tackle.

On the talk show, he made this statement after a fan asked him if he would consider this trade. “I’d do it, it would hurt, but you’ve got TeSlaa here, you’ve got Jamo (Jameson Williams) here, you could go and find a veteran wide receiver if you need them. And you’re adding Chris Jones to go along with Aidan Hutchinson? I’d do that trade in a heartbeat,” he said.

Now, the Lions do need desperate reinforcements for their defense. Maxx Crosby was one option, but with the Chicago Bears hovering around him with a potential first-round pick in the trade, Crosby looks like a tough ask.

That makes Jones a real option. But can the Lions do without St. Brown in the offense?

Well, Jameson Williams was one of the top receivers for the team, with 1,117 yards and 7 touchdowns. And although TeSlaa had 239 yards, he remained lethal in the endzone with 6 touchdowns.

However, Fans Aren't Sold On The Idea At All

This led to fan backlash on Rico Beard, with one fan claiming, “Rico has lost his rabbit a** mind a long time ago.”

At the heart of this anger is how important Amon-Ra St. Brown has been. He had the fifth most receptions (117) and yards (1401) in the NFL, leading receiving stats at the Lions. More importantly, St. Brown's 11 touchdowns were crucial for the Lions. Just take the 52-21 win over the Bears. He had three touchdowns against an NFC North Rival.

That's why one fan commented, “HECK NO!!! St. Brown is 5 years younger, and he is going to get even better. Offense would not be the same without him.”

But that's not all. At 26, the young star has a long career ahead of him, while Jones, at 31, is entering his 11th season. Fans clearly wanted St. Brown because of long-term availability.

“An aging DLine guy for a player who’s in his prime. How’s he employed?” another fan wrote.

And this fan isn't wrong either. Jones, in the last few years, has been on the decline. Since his 15.5 sacks in the 2022 season, he's managed 10.5 in 2023, 5 in 2024, and just 7 in 2025. The numbers say it all. That's even one Kansas City Chiefs fan chimed in with:

"Chiefs fan here…we would 1000% do that deal. St. Brown is a hugely impactful player on offense for the Lions. Chris is probably going to Canton, but he’s a couple years past peak now…"

But if it's just about getting a solid defensive player, the Lions could go for Trey Hendrickson of the Bengals, who's having issues with negotiating his new contract. But even in that case, fans made it clear that St. Brown was off the table in any deal.

"Would love to have Chris Jones but no way I’m trading Amon-Ra."

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Shyam Hari

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar