After losing Pro Bowl edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson for the remainder of the 2024 season with a serious leg injury, the 4-1 Detroit Lions moved quickly to lock in their second-best pass rusher in defensive tackle Alim McNeill.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes re-signed his 24-year-old, third-round pick from the 2021 NFL Draft, Holmes' first draft class in Detroit, to a four-year, $97 million contract with $55 million guaranteed, per NFL Media. McNeill's new deal averages $24.3 million per year, the fourth-highest average per year salary in the NFL among defensive tackles. He trails only Chiefs All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones ($31.75 APY), Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins ($27.5 APY) and Ravens All-Pro Nnamdi Madubuike ($24.5 million APY) in average annual contract value. His $97 million total contract value is also the fourth-highest in the NFL behind Jones ($158.75 million), Wilkins ($110 million) and Madubuike ($98 million). McNeill's $55 million guaranteed is also the fourth-highest contract guarantee in the league among defensive tackles with only Jones ($60 million), Wilkins ($57.5 million) and Washington Commanders Pro Bowler Daron Payne ($55.01 million) ahead of him.
McNeill's 7.5 sacks and 50 quarterback pressures since the start of the 2023 season are both tied for the second-most on the Lions behind only Hutchinson's 19.0 sacks, tied for the sixth-most in the league in that span, and 146 quarterback pressures, the most in the NFL in that span. McNeill's 79.8 defensive grade ranks as the seventh-highest in the league among defensive tackles with at least 100 snaps this season, according to Pro Football Focus. He tied his single-game career-high in sacks in Detroit's 47-9 beatdown of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6 with two on Sunday. McNeill's seven quarterback pressures are the second-most in a game throughout his four-year NFL career.
The Lions will now require much more of their freshly-paid defensive lineman as he and the rest of Detroit's defense attempts to fill the void left by Hutchinson's absence.
