As 2026 NFL free agency nears, there's been some easy indications suggesting Aaron Glenn wants to reunite with linebacker Alex Anzalone as he nears his inevitable departure from the Detroit Lions. But ESPN's Rich Cimini has added another Lions' free agent to the wish list for the New York Jets' head coach.
"With approximately $90 million in cap room (they gained $11.8 million in the Johnson-for-Sweat swap), the Jets figure to be aggressive in free agency on the defensive side of the ball."
"Among the players they're considering are safeties Bryan Cook (Kansas City Chiefs) and Nick Cross (Indianapolis Colts), linebacker Alex Anzalone (Lions) and defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad (Lions), among others, according to people familiar with their thinking."
Lions should let the Jets (or anyone else) overpay Al-Quadin Muhammad
Muhammad arrived to the Lions during Glenn's final season as defensive coordinator, with three sacks in nine games during the 2024 campaign. Then came his breakout last season, with 11 sacks over 17 games.
As any free agent should, especially coming off the best season of their career, Muhammad made it clear he intends to see what's out there for him on the open market in comments to reporters on locker clean-out day.
"I will go where I'm being valued at," Muhammad said as the Lions parted ways for the offseason, via Richard Silva of the Detroit News. "I work my tail off. I took a discount, in my opinion, this season. So, absolutely, (I'll) definitely go where I'm valued at, but want to be here. So, if they value me here, I'll be here. Hopefully that's the way it turns out."
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A closer look shows some cracks in that 11-sack campaign for Muhammad. He had two-plus sacks in a game three times, accounting for 7.5 of the 11. Over the final nine games of the season, he had two multi-sack games and seven games with zero sacks. Sacks can be very random, but Pro Football Focus data shows a general drop-off in his impact as a pass rusher over the second half of the season.
The Lions should not be wooed into keeping Muhammad by his big sack total last season. They also have to be careful not to overpay him in the name of the continuity and familarity they prioritize.
Among teams that would overpay someone based on a career year, the Jets would be high on that list regardless of any coaching tie. But if Glenn wants Muhammad like Cimini has suggested, ponying up to get him to an extent they shouldn't (and perhaps no one else will) is definitely in play.