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Eric Woodyard, ESPN
DETROIT — One of the cornerstones for one of the NFL’s best squads has secured his future in the Motor City.
Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill has agreed to a four-year contract extension, per his agent Mike McCartney at Vayner Sports. McNeill’s deal is worth $97 million, including $55 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
He is the third member of Detroit’s 2021 draft class under general manager Brad Holmes to sign an extension, joining All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and offensive tackle Penei Sewell, who both reached extensions in the offseason. On Saturday, the Lions also inked star running back David Montgomery to a two-year, $18.25 million extension that ties him to the Detroit Lions through the 2027 season as they continue to reward their players after a strong start to the season.
The Lions also resigned QB Jared Goff to a new four-year, $212 million contract in May.
Following training camp, Holmes said he believes in getting ahead of contract negotiations and rewarding the top players for their efforts, which sends a message in the locker room.
“The market’s going to change. You don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. We’ve always felt the earlier the better for everybody,” Holmes said in August. “First of all, I know that the player doesn’t want to wait around and be strung along, and us as an organization, we do a lot of planning and preparation to reward these players as early as possible because you don’t know what’s going to happen the next week, the next month.
McNeill, 24, joined the Lions as a third-round pick (72nd overall) in the 2021 NFL draft out of N.C. State and has started in all five games with the Lions this season, where he has logged eight tackles and 2.5 sacks with four quarterback hits. Last season, he also became Detroit’s first interior defensive lineman to register 5.0 sacks in a season since Ndamukong Suh in 2014.
McNeill’s extension comes just two days after the Lions’ 47-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys, where his teammate Aidan Hutchinson went down with a fractured tibia and fibula and is expected to miss at least four to six months. The Lions will look for McNeill to help the team in the pass rush to make up for Hutchinson’s loss, which is something is a challenge he is accepting.
“Listen, Mac showed up and Mac wasn’t pleased with the way he played against Seattle, and so he was a man on a mission before the bye, coming out, and he was locked in this week,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said of McNeill on Monday. “His mind was right, and he was going to be a factor in this game and that’s what we expect every week out of Mac, is just that.
“So yeah, how much? A lot. And he’s one of those guys we’re going to lean on,” he continued. “He doesn’t have to be Superman, but we’ve got to get that out of him every week, and he’s got that ability. Played a heck of a game yesterday.”