Headlines: Lions Ink DT Alim McNeill for 4-Year, $97M Contract
Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill has reached an agreement on a four-year extension worth $97 million, with $55 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports on Tuesday night.
The 24-year-old McNeill has been a starter since the 2022 season, including all five games this year. He has recorded eight tackles and 2.5 sacks for the Lions (4-1).
McNeill was drafted by Detroit in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft from North Carolina State. In 52 games (41 starts), he has accumulated 120 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, and 24 quarterback hurries. He also started three playoff games in 2023, recording four tackles and one sack.
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According to an NFL Network report, McNeill's average salary of $24.25 million per season would make him the fourth-highest-paid defensive lineman in the league.
The contract extension comes on the same day that the Lions placed All-Pro defensive end Aidan Hutchinson on injured reserve. Hutchinson suffered a broken left tibia and fibula in Sunday's 47-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Hutchinson, 24, leads the league with 7.5 sacks and has 19 tackles, 17 quarterback hits, and one interception in five games this season. The second overall pick in the 2022 draft, he has 122 career tackles, 28.5 sacks, 30 tackles for loss, 65 quarterback hits, and four interceptions in 39 games (all starts). He was selected to the Pro Bowl last season.
Unfortunately, Hutchinson is expected to miss the remainder of the season, as is defensive tackle Kyle Peko, who was also placed on injured reserve on Tuesday due to a torn pectoral muscle.
Peko, 31, has played in five games (one start) this season and has recorded two tackles. He is in his first season with Detroit after previously playing for the Denver Broncos (2016-17, 2019), Buffalo Bills (2019), Tennessee Titans (2021, 2023), and Las Vegas Raiders (2022).
