For someone who ascended from the practice squad in October 2024 to an 11-sack season last year, it was quite the surprise that the Detroit Lions didn't do more to retain defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad in free agency.
Muhammad has fought tooth and nail for every opportunity he's gotten in the NFL since he was a sixth-round pick back in 2017. Everything lined up for him nine years in, yet Muhammad didn't cash in as expected on the open market.
The Lions inked D.J. Wonnum on a one-year, $3 million deal after letting Muhammad landed in Tampa Bay for only $1 million more plus incentives. Wonnum had only three sacks in Carolina last year.
Seems like a massive downgrade at least from a pass rushing standpoint on the edge opposite superstar Aidan Hutchinson, no?
Do the Lions know something outsiders don't about Al-Quadin Muhammad?
It's something of an affront toward Muhammad that the Lions were perfectly fine with . Granted, Muhammad's deal in Tampa can be worth up to $6 million with incentives, but what was the rub at the negotiating table that let him get away?
Or is it something else?
Yes, contract extensions on the horizon for the epic 2023 draft class of Jack Campbell, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch. However, we're only talking about the upcoming season when it comes to Muhammad and Wonnum.
Did Muhammad balk at a low-ball multi-year deal in Detroit? The fact that there are so many question marks this early in an article sure won't quiet the criticism around GM Brad Holmes' offseason to date.
Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have been the toast of the Motor City in recent years. All of a sudden, after a couple underwhelming drafts and missing the playoffs in 2025, they're under more scrutiny. And the pressure is only ratcheting up with the high standard they've established in overhauling the Lions' organizational culture.
To be clear, it'd be out of character for the Lions to straight-up ignore Muhammad's production and not reward him. This regime has prioritized signing their own players, and getting extensions done early.
Not that Muhammad was drafted in Detroit, but he was a diamond-in-the-rough revelation who Holmes could've doubled down on. It's a total mystery as to why he didn't.
More perplexing was the apparent decision to replace Muhammad with Wonnum, who ranked 108th out of 110 edge defenders in PFF's pass rush grades. He's not some massive upgrade over Muhammad versus the run, either.
With left tackle looming as a serious need, perhaps the Lions are banking on another defensive end to be there at No. 17 overall in the NFL Draft. Or maybe another free-agent move is on the horizon.
Whatever the case may be, Detroit's actions appear to speak loudly on the decision to let Muhammad go for nothing. They'd better hope that Wonnum recaptures his 2023 form when he had eight sacks — and that Muhammad doesn't dominate for the Buccaneers.