On Thursday, the Jacksonville Jaguars announced that they had signed free agent kicker Brandon McManus and waived Riley Patterson in a corresponding move. However, before that move could be made official by the 4 p.m. ET end-of-day deadline, the Detroit Lions stepped in and traded for Patterson, sending an undisclosed draft pick to Jacksonville for Patterson.
UPDATE: The Lions are reportedly sending a 2026 conditional seventh-round pick to Jacksonville.
By trading for Patterson, they avoid having to put in a waiver claim for the kicker. As of right now, the Lions have 18th priority in waiver claims—so it was far from a guarantee that Detroit would’ve been able to acquire him, especially after the season Patterson had in Jacksonville.