The Detroit Lions have plenty of roster questions to answer this offseason, and while the franchise is seemingly set in many key places, there are moves that need to be made to help ensure their future success.
Defensively, the Lions managed to get a fantastic bounce back season out of Aidan Hutchinson up front. While the star defensive end impressed with 14.5 sacks, like other years, the Lions struggled to find consistent pocket pressure and production outside his exploits.
One of the players who did succeed in breaking through was Al-Quadin Muhammad. The journeyman was given a major opportunity by the Lions in the 2025 offseason, and he succeeded, posting 11 sacks and 25 tackles on the year in his most impressive season in the league.
Obviously, Muhammad felt major comfort with the Lions after they showed faith in him, and he believes he blossomed as a player in 2025 thanks to the comfort he began to feel as a player in Detroit.
"As you get older as a player or the longer you play in this league, the smarter you get, the more savvy you get, the more you understand the game. Ultimately, if you keep putting in the work, you elevate in all those different areas. That's what happened to me. Just constantly putting the work in, constantly finding ways to win and learning more about the game. Also, being a part of a great organization and having great coaches helps as well and having great teammates."
All of that leads to the discussion of what happens in 2026. Muhammad looks forward to hearing out the Lions given they gave him his biggest shot in the league thus far.
"Once I talk to them, it means a lot what they've got to say. I just appreciate the opportunity. That means the world to me to get the opportunity to go out there, succeed and take advantage of those opportunities. That's why I ultimately had a great season."
In spite of that, Muhammad also hinted he is interested in testing the market. Detroit's decision on this front is challenging. While other veteran players look like no-brainers to return, Muhammad's case might be different.
Despite his success, Lions shouldn't break the bank on Muhammad
While it's tempting for the Lions to think they have found their low-cost running mate for Hutchinson, it's clear the franchise had major problems manufacturing consistent pressure even with Muhammad in the fold.
Outside Muhammad and Hutchinson's 25.5 combined sacks, the rest of the Lions only contributed 22.5 sacks to the cause. Linebacker Jack Campbell was the third-leading sack man on the team with five. While Campbell had an elite season, that can't be acceptable.
Muhammad's 11 sacks were the most he has enjoyed, blowing away his 2021 total of six with the Indianapolis Colts. Other than those seasons, Muhammad is a 1-3 sack per-season player. He hit big time with the Lions this season, but the franchise cannot afford to gamble on paying him like a high-cost edge when he doesn't have a long track record of that production.
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Brad Holmes has kicked the can down the road too long regarding his approach at the edge position. This season, he famously proclaimed "we're good" when it came to adding another elite rusher. By the end of the season, it was abundantly clear that the team wasn't good.
Moving forward, the Lions need to figure out how to add another top edge to the mix, either in the draft or in free agency, where a talent like Trey Hendrickson is an intriguing potential piece to consider. A bigger-ticket item could more effectively help Hutchinson dominate in his own right.
If Muhammad prices himself out of Detroit as he could, the Lions would be best advised to use the money to go bigger at the position.