Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill has agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $97 million with $55 million guaranteed, according to multiple media reports on Tuesday night.
McNeill, 24, has started every game he has played in since the 2022 season, including all five this year. He has eight tackles and 2.5 sacks for the Lions (4-1).
Detroit selected him in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of North Carolina State. He has 120 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss and 24 quarterback hurries in 52 games (41 starts). He also started three playoff games in 2023 and made four tackles and one sack.
At an average of $24.25 million per season, McNeill would be the fourth-highest-paid defensive lineman in the league, according to an NFL Network report.
The signing comes on the same day that Detroit placed All-Pro defensive end Aidan Hutchinson on injured reserve. Hutchinson broke his left tibia and fibula on Sunday in a 47-9 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
Hutchinson, 24, had a league-high 7.5 sacks as part of his 19 tackles as well as 17 quarterback hits in five games. The second overall pick of 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 for the Pro Bowl last season.
He is expected to miss the rest of the season, as is defensive tackle Kyle Peko, who was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday because of a torn pectoral muscle.
Peko, 31, has played in five games (one start) this season and has two tackles. He’s in his first season with Detroit after playing for the Denver Broncos (2016-17, 2019), Buffalo Bills (2019), Tennessee Titans (2021, 2023) and Las Vegas Raiders (2022).
–Field Level Media
