The Lions make a trade to bring back kicker Riley Patterson
The kicking carousel continues to spin in Detroit. On Thursday, the Lions made a trade to bring back one-time Detroit kicker Riley Patterson from the Jacksonville Jaguars in a trade.
Patterson was available after the Jaguars signed free agent Brandon McManus, who was released by the Denver Broncos a day earlier. Terms of the trade are not yet official, but it’s believed to be a 2026 7th-round pick.
Patterson kicked for the Lions in the 2021 campaign. In seven games, Patterson made 13-of-14 field goal attempts with a long make of 49 yards. He did not handle kickoff duties in his first stint in Detroit. For the Jaguars in 2022, Patterson made 30-of-35 field goals with a long of 53 yards, and produced a touchback rate of 50% on 88 kickoffs.
The trade came a few short hours after Lions special teams coach Dave Fipp gave a strong vote of confidence in current Lions kickers Michael Badgley and John Parker Romo. The Lions now have three kickers on the 90-man roster; to make room for Patterson, the team waived undrafted rookie wide receiver Keytaon Thompson.
