A couple days after his best game of the season, Alim McNeill is cashing in.
McNeill has signed a four-year, $97 million extension with the Lions, per NFL Network, keeping the star defensive tackle in Detroit through 2028. The deal includes $55 million guaranteed.
McNeill, 24, enjoyed a breakout season last year when he was playing at a Pro Bowl level prior to a knee injury in December. He returned in the playoffs and helped the Lions reach the NFL title game.
A third-round pick in Detroit's first draft class under Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell, McNeill has played a major role in the Lions developing one of the best run defenses in the NFL. He's also grown as a pass rusher, as he showed with two sacks in last week's rout of the Cowboys.
Holmes acknowledged this summer that the Lions consider McNeill "part of the foundation" as they build a Super Bowl contender: "The way that he’s developed his game, he does everything right, he’s a total pro and he’s extremely talented."
"He’s another one that, it’s about time. So we’ll get talks going at some point and hopefully try to get something done," Holmes said at the time.
It didn't take them long.
McNeill's new salary of $24.5 million ranks fourth in the NFL at his position, behind only Chris Jones, Christian Wilkins and Nnamdi Madubuike. He was the sixth-highest graded interior defender last season per Pro Football Focus, trailing Dexter Lawrence, Aaron Donald, Quinnen Williams, Derrick Brown and Jalen Carter.
McNeill is the latest player to sign an extension with the Lions ahead of free agency. Detroit has done the same over the past several months with Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, Taylor Decker and David Montgomery, spending about $620 million on their own players.