The Detroit Lions got an 11-sack season out of Al-Quadin Muhammad last year, not terribly long after the rest of the NFL had all but given up on him. Rather than rewarding Muhammad for his production, Detroit watched him walk in free agency to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a one-year deal.
Good news for Lions GM Brad Holmes: Another hope is out there waiting to be scooped up. He's a future Hall of Famer, who at age 36, managed to record nine sacks during the 2025 campaign.
His name is Von Miller. And he actually just turned 37 on Thursday. What good timing!
Von Miller feels like the perfect fit for Lions' dubious defensive end position
Holmes has admitted that financial constraints hamstrung Detroit's free-agent activity. The main issue is that Holmes simply drafted too well in 2023.
For real, though. Impending contract extensions for Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell, Brian Branch and Sam LaPorta limit what the Lions can do. They already restructured quarterback Jared Goff's contract to open up $32 million in 2026 cap room. They'll probably have to keep tinkering with that deal if they want to retain the aforementioned young core quartet.
That's where Von Miller is an ideal solution. He's got to be on a year-by-year basis at this point of his career as far as whether he'll continue playing or not. The Lions already have a superstar at defensive end in Aidan Hutchinson, yet they need a viable DE2 to complement him.
Detroit did sign D.J. Wonnum on the open market to a one-year deal. He's better off as a DE3, however, and is nowhere near the pass-rush threat that Miller is, even at his advanced football age.
Before incentives last season in Washington, Miller was only a $6.1 million cap hit for the Commanders. His current projected market value on Spotrac for 2026 is $5.8 million. Detroit has $18.6 million in effective cap space, per Over The Cap.
It'd be a little unwise for the Lions to enter the 2026 NFL Draft with such a glaring need for defensive end depth outside of Hutchinson, not to mention a strong starter opposite him. Counting on a rookie to fill that role is a bold choice, especially since Detroit is picking at 17th overall and doesn't own a third-round selection in this draft.
This doesn't sound like a recipe for success. Owning only two top draft picks, and having such serious needs on the offensive line, defensive end, and at cornerback.
Miller could easily fix one of those and still leave plenty of money left over to address other areas. Why wouldn't Holmes make the move?
Just think: The year after he left the Rams front office for Detroit's GM post, Los Angeles made an in-season trade for Von Miller, which put them over the top to win Super Bowl LVI. When he nabbed his other Lombardi Trophy in Denver, Miller earned Super Bowl MVP honors in that game. Talk about a game-changer for the Lions' 2026 locker room.
Holmes must have plenty of ties to the Rams for any background due diligence he'd want to carry out on Miller. This feels like a no-brainer, no?