2. DT Alim McNeill
McNeill worked hard to reshape his physique and expand his game heading into his third season, and it paid off with a breakthrough 2023 campaign. Since he missed four games with a knee injury late last season, there seems to be room for more this year. The raise in financial profile defensive tackles have seen around the league is good news for him as he looks to build on that breakthrough.
The only fly in the ointment for McNeill getting a long-term deal from the Lions is the cost if he continues to advance himself as one of the best defensive tackles in the league this year. Somewhere between $15-20 million per year is going to be the going rate if he has another good season, with the higher end or more than that in play if he improves his production (ex: double-digit sacks).
All of that cost-related stuff said, McNeill emerged as a core player last year and if he proves it wasn't a fluke the Lions should find a way to keep him around.
1. OT Taylor Decker
After last season ended, the longest-tenured player on the Lions made it absolutely clear what his future intentions are as he looked toward the final year of his contract.
I definitely want to end my career here,” Decker told MLive. “I would say ultimately, for me, this is where I want to be. Of course you want money, but for me, I like being here. I love being here. I was able to be a part of climbing out of the trenches of it, and it’s been fun the past year-and-a-half to see the flip side of it.... But ultimately, do I want to be here forever? One-hundred percent. So, we’ll see.”
In April, Decker told reporters there had been "entry level" and "base-level" discussions about a contract extension. Approaching 31 years old (August 23), he is still a top-end offensive tackle in the league (No. 9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus last year) and well worth keeping around for a few more years to shape one of the top tackle tandems in the league with Sewell.
Decker is the safest bet as the next Lions' player to get a contract extension, if only partly as a mechanism to reduce his $19.1 million cap hit for this year. It may even happen soon.
Honorable mention: LB Derrick Barnes