For a second straight August, Tim Patrick will be on the move. A year after making a Denver-to-Detroit trip, the veteran wide receiver is heading to Jacksonville.
The Lions are trading Patrick to the Jaguars, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. The Jags are sending a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Lions in this trade. Patrick is tied to a guaranteed one-year, $2.5MM deal. The deal is now official, and the Jags waived wide receiver Austin Trammell to clear a roster spot.
Patrick, 31, had missed two full seasons but managed to stay healthy after joining the Lions in 2024. The Broncos moved on from the 6-foot-4 receiver following training camp last year, dangling him in trades before not including him as part of their initial 53-man roster. As Denver went with a younger group of pass catchers alongside Courtland Sutton, Patrick caught on with Detroit’s practice squad before making a quick move onto the active roster.
The former UDFA caught 33 passes for 394 yards and three TDs, working as a possession receiver in an explosive Lions attack. Patrick operated as an auxiliary wideout for a Lions team that had three defined targets ahead of him — Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta — and made key contributions for a 15-2 juggernaut. The season reestablished some value for Patrick, who suffered ACL and Achilles tears during the 2022 and ’23 training camps.
While Patrick did not live up to the three-year, $30MM extension he signed with the Broncos during the 2021 season, his reemergence caught the Jaguars’ attention. Patrick posted back-to-back 700-plus-yard years (2020-21), drawing a second-round RFA tender, and will now be positioned to complement Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. The Jags also signed Dyami Brown to a one-year deal.
The ex-Commanders Day 2 draftee and Patrick are positioned as complementary pieces, though it is still not known how much Hunter will play on offense as he prepares for a historic two-way role. Patrick stands to give the Jags some cover there, as Hunter may not be available on a full-time basis offensively.
This trade clears some runway space for Lions third-round pick Isaac TeSlaa, a Combine standout whom the team traded up for in the third round. The Lions used third- and seventh-round picks on receivers (Dominic Lovett going in Round 7) and kept six on their initial 53-man roster Tuesday. Detroit traded up 30 spots (from No. 102 to No. 70) for TeSlaa, highlighting an interest in developing him as its WR3 for the time being. Two years remain on Williams’ rookie deal.
