The Detroit Lions are on the board for the 2026 NFL trade deadline.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Lions are trading for New York Jets safety Andre Cisco. In return, the Lions are sending the Jets a 2028 sixth-round pick.
Cisco was drafted in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft and spent the first four years of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played in 63 games for the Jaguars, starting 47 games for them over that time. After his rookie deal was up, he signed a one-year, $8.5
million deal with the Jets in 2025 and re-signed with the team on a one-year, $2.5 million deal this offseason.
This season, Cisco has seen his role diminished in New York after starting eight games for them last year. After starting the first three games for the Jets in 2026, Cisco has played a total of just 23 snaps with New York over the past five games.
In Detroit, Cisco should give the Lions some much-needed depth at the safety position. Brian Branch recent returned from his Achilles injury and Kerby Joseph could be on the path to returning now that his practice window has been opened up. However, the Lions have been struggling with their depth at the position. Veteran Chuck Clark has been the primary reserve and has played okay, talling his second interception of the season on Sunday. But Christian Izien has been benched, Thomas Harper remains on injured reserve, and the Lions have scaled back the work of rookie Keith Abney, who moved to safety midseason. This move could open up the opportunity to move Abney back to nickel cornerback.
As for Cisco, he’s a versatile safety capable of playing both in the box and as a deep, coverage safety. He’ll be appealing to the Lions, because he’s an aggressive run defender. But he also has pretty good ball skills. In college, he tallied 13 interceptions for Syracuse, including seven in his freshman season. At the NFL level, Cisco has eight interceptions, 26 passes defended, four forced fumbles, and 2.5 sacks.
