Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill has more than held his own in the trenches. Unfortunately, he is dealing with a knee injury that will cost him time during the regular season. That, in part, led to Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport naming McNeill the most overpaid player among defensive tackles.
McNeill is in the middle of a four-year, $97 million contract extension he signed before the 2024 season. His average annual value of $24.25 million ranks fourth at the position, behind Chris Jones ($31.75 million), Christian Wilkins ($27.5 million) and Nnamdi Madubuike ($24.5 million).
Davenport notes the injury and the numbers on the field as reasons why McNeill landed in this spot.
The 2024 season was the most successful in the history of the Detroit Lions, at least in terms of regular-season wins. But not long after signing defensive tackle Alim McNeill to a four-year, $97 million contract, he tore his ACL.
The Lions are hopeful they will have the 25-year-old back by midseason, and he told reporters that both he and his teammates are highly motivated to rebound from last year’s disappointments:
“We’re just going to put in that much more work to get that more prepared. There’s no blueprint to it. There’s no hiding from it. You have to put in the work to get (to the Super Bowl) and that’s what we’re going to do. It’s just going to continue to grow for us. We still have a fairly young squad and still have guys still coming into their form. I for sure see a great future for us.”
McNeill is a quality run defender who flashes occasionally as a pass-rusher. But he’s never had more than five sacks in a season and has just 11.5 for his career. Players making upward of $25 million a season are expected to be game-wreckers. And just when he was showing some potential to be one, he tore up his knee.
The longer it takes him to recapture his past form, the worse this contract is going to look.
As Davenport notes, McNeill was really starting to come into his own and become one of the better defensive tackles in the league. He’s still very much an above-average tackle. Once healthy again, he’ll have his chance to move back up the ladder and show he is very much deserving of the money he was given.
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions star defensive tackle named NFL’s most overpaid at position
Reporting by Billy Riccette, Lions Wire / Lions Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
