Lions called out for bloated Alim McNeill contract

Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes isn't really known for giving out huge contracts. Some would call him "cheap" by NFL standards. It's taken him years to entertain the idea of really putting out the money and capital for a complement to edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, for example.

But, there's one deal where Holmes, head coach Dan Campbell and the Lions may have paid too much. Now, the Lions are being called out for what could be a very inflated deal with one of the team's star players.

Detroit Lions' Alim McNeill is being called an overpaid NFL star

Garrett Podell of CBS Sports has a feature out naming the NFL's most overpaid players. In it, he says that the Lions have the most overpaid defensive tackle in the NFL in Alim McNeill. What's his deal? It's four years, $97 million with $28 million fully guaranteed. That's a lot for his position, no doubt.

This one is a clear overpay because of injury. That's the case with a lot of NFL stars, though. You never know who's going to get injured when you first do a signing.

In the piece, Podell says McNeill "showed enough promise early on in his career" to land that massive deal. "However, he's been unable to stay on the field of late, a common theme for the Lions' defense these days, missing a combined 14 games since 2023."

During the 2025 season, Podell notes that the player's 52.5 defensive grade ranked 89th out of 127 interior defensive linemen graded by Pro Football Focus.

"Detroit needs much more out of McNeill with three years remaining on this albatross," he adds.

This will really be a make-or-break year for McNeill. It's time for him to earn his keep. The good news is that he's super talented when he's healthy, so now is his chance.