One NFL analyst believes Detroit Lions defensive lineman Alim McNeill is one of the most overpaid players in the league.
That is the opinion of Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon, who lists McNeill as the most overpaid interior defensive lineman in the NFL.
Gagnon's belief is that McNeill is making more than he should given his history of production and lack of Pro Bowls.
The good news is McNeill's 2024 contract extension won't kick in until after a 2025 campaign in which he costs the Lions just $6.1 million. The bad news is he'll count nearly $29 million against the cap in 2026 alone, and that'll only rise in 2027 and 2028.
At 25, he has little time to bolster his game, especially as he's still recovering from a major knee injury that could limit him this season. And prior to that, he was a zero-time Pro Bowler with 11.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in his four-year career.
That just doesn't cut it for a guy who is earning the league's fifth-highest salary at his position.
With his four-year, $97 million deal, McNeill ranks fifth among interior defensive linemen in terms of annual average ($24.25 million) and total value. He would actually be sixth if Christian Wilkins hadn't gotten released from the Raiders.
Over the past two seasons, McNeill has become one of the better interior defensive linemen in the NFL. Here are his Pro Football Focus grades and rankings among interior defensive linemen over the past two seasons:
2023
- Overall: 88.5 (6th)
- Pass Rush: 76.2 (22nd)
- Run Defense: 79.3 (5th)
2024
- Overall: 79.6 (11th)
- Pass Rush: 77.1 (13th)
- Run Defense: 64.5 (35th)
New contracts for ascending players like McNeill never come cheap, so it's not surprising to see the Lions pay as much as they did. And, it's not like they made McNeill the highest-paid interior defensive lineman in the NFL, either.
The concern with McNeill really stems from his recent injury history. After missing four games in 2023, McNeill saw his 2024 season cut short due to a torn ACL that he is still recovering from and is likely to miss games because of in 2025.
Had the Lions waited to extend McNeill, they likely would have gotten a discount as a result of the latter injury. But hindsight is always 20/20 and not extending the lineman would have left the door open for Detroit to pay more if a bidding war ensued in free agency.
If things don't pan out, the Lions won't have to wait long for an opening to cut ties with McNeill. A post-June 1 cut in 2027 will only incur a dead-cap charge of $4.9 million and would save $22.7 million.
Is there the potential for McNeill to not live up to his contract?
Absolutely, but it's hard to argue with the Lions' logic in extending McNeill when they did, and it's far too early to be calling him overpaid.
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