Mike Thomas trade: Several teams reportedly expressed interest in deal

Aside from the fact that the Detroit Lions acquired a wide receiver, the biggest surprise with the Mike Thomas trade was the fact that they gave up a fifth-round pick for someone who has done so little in 2012. Jacksonville Jaguars fans are thrilled that their team got anything for Thomas considering he was on the roster bubble going into the season. His numbers so far in 2012 haven't exactly impressed, so a fifth-round pick is quite good for them given the situation.

Although a fifth-round pick in 2014 isn't necessarily a lot to give up for a player who could contribute in a variety of ways, the general feeling right after the trade first happened on the Lions' side of things was that it was a bit much. Had the Lions simply given up a seventh-round pick, the reception for the deal likely would have been much more positive.

As it turns out, the Lions probably wouldn't have been able to pull off the deal if they had only offered a seventh-round pick. I say that because they weren't the only team interested in trading for Thomas, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport.

One more nugget on new #Lions WR Mike Thomas? Four teams called Jags about him. Liked his potential especially before Gabbert took over.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 30, 2012

Reading that makes me feel a bit better about this trade. For the Lions, hopefully Thomas' lack of production this year in Jacksonville was more a product of being on a bad team than anything else. At the very least, hopefully joining a new team will get his career turned back in the right direction, and hopefully the Lions will be able to look back on this deal as more than worth it after the season.

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