With the Super Bowl over, the Detroit Lions and the rest of the NFL can put full focus on the 2026 offseason. Between free agency and the draft, Lions general manager Brad Holmes will have his hands full for the next several months, and his task is only made tougher by Detroit's dire salary cap situation.
Spotrac projects the Lions to be more than $9.1 million over next season's salary cap, and even the estimated increase won't be enough to completely help. That's why Holmes will have to consider trimming some financial fat if he wants to make his offseason easier to navigate, putting defensive tackle Alim McNeill in jeopardy of a potential split.
Alim McNeill's Lions Exit Seems Likelier After Super Bowl
Drafted 72nd overall by the Lions in 2021, McNeill is a solid defensive line force whenever he's healthy and productive. Unfortunately, the former NC State defender was neither of those things all too often last season, leaving him as a potential divorce candidate this offseason.
After spending the first six games on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list due to an ACL tear in the previous season, McNeill struggled to replicate his previous production. The 25-year-old DT only mustered five solo tackles, one sack, a defended pass, and one forced fumble in 10 games, all while missing a career-worst 17.6% of his tackling attempts.
Usually reliable against the run, McNeill recorded just eight stops across 202 rushing opportunities, according to Pro Football Focus. That's only a rate of about 4.0%, which is noticeably down from the 9.1% he tallied in 2024.
The aforementioned ACL tear, combined with losing ex-defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, likely played a role in McNeill's uninspiring performance. On one hand, another offseason under current DC Kelvin Sheppard could be what he needs to return to form. On the other hand, the financial benefits that severing ties brings can't be ignored, courtesy of Spotrac:
Transaction | Dead Cap | Savings |
|---|---|---|
Pre-June 1 Cut | $37,864,000 | $-8,898,000 |
Pre-June 1 Trade | $17,864,000 | $11,102,000 |
Post-June 1 Cut | $24,966,000 | $4,000,000 |
Post-June 1 Trade | $4,966,000 | $24,000,000 |
Although a post-June 1 cut would help create some savings, the real help would lie in a potential trade after that date. Holmes & Co. could do a lot with an extra $24 million, and it isn't impossible to imagine a DT-needy team out there being open to rolling the dice on McNeill, who will only be 26 years old come September.
Again, this isn't to say that McNeill's departure is a foregone conclusion. However, it does point out that the signs for a potential divorce are mounting, especially if the Lions want to spend enough money to get back into the playoff picture after finishing at the bottom of the NFC North.
Perhaps McNeill will get back to being the reliable frontline presence he was before injuries derailed his career. He might need a fresh start to get there, though, and with how a potential offseason split would be mutually beneficial, that's something that Holmes and the Lions must seriously consider now that their offseason has officially begun.