The 2024 offseason has been defined by the Lions’ willingness to extend several in-house players. Each of the team’s major new deals worked out over the past few months have come on the offensive side of the ball, and attention has now turned to one of Detroit’s ascending defenders. 
Lions general manager Brad Holmes confirmed defensive tackle Alim McNeill is firmly on the team’s extension radar. That has been known throughout the summer, but Detroit has had other priorities to deal with. Now that the bulk of the roster is set in advance of Week 1, negotiations on a second contract with the 24-year-old are set to begin.
“We haven’t had anything intense going on from a dialogue standpoint, but his camp knows that we want to get something done,” Holmes said (via Jared Ramsey of the Detroit Free Press). “But, it’s very [much] in the infancy stage right now.”
McNeill has one year remaining on his rookie contract, and his play in 2023 set him up for a potential payday. The former third-rounder notched a career-high five sacks last season, adding 13 pressures and 10 quarterback hits. He again served as a full-time starter, and his production is particularly notable since he missed four games due to an MCL injury. Healthy in time for the postseason, McNeill was again a regular presence along interior for all three of Detroit’s playoffs games.
The Lions added to their D-line by signing Marcus Davenport as a veteran complement to edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson. Detroit also added D.J. Reader on the open market. The former Bengals run-stuffer should take on a first-team role when healthy, and he could form an effective tandem with McNeill. Last month, it was confirmed extension talks with the NC State product would take place relatively soon.
Time still remains between now and the start of the regular season for the Lions and McNeill to work out a deal. Given the nature of Holmes’ latest comments on the subject, though, it would come as a surprise if an agreement were to be worked out in the coming days. Negotiations could carry over into the fall, or McNeill’s camp could choose to play out the coming season with the hopes of another productive season upping his trade value. It will be interesting to see how much progress is made now that formal talks are underway.
Pay that man his money
This is a good player. Homegrown pick, steady contributor, possibly the most important player on the front, and arguably, depending how you see it, Detroit’s best individual player. A lot of people know McNeill at this point, but he will probably be a star level name pretty soon.