The Detroit Lions allowed multiple free agents to leave town this week. Some of those decisions were the right call, but not everyone makes sense from the outside looking in. And the latest one is the head-scratching choice to let Al-Quadin Muhammad leave.
On Friday, Muhammad signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a one-year deal "worth up to $6 million," according to ESPN. The former Lion visited the Buccaneers on March 12, and it looks like things came together fairly quickly.
Muhammad spoke with members of Tampa Bay's media shortly after his deal was announced, revealing he "doesn't know why Detroit let him leave in free agency," per FOX Sports' Greg Auman.
Regardless, he focused on the Buccaneers and said, "(the Lions are) on the schedule this year."
Although Muhammad is elsewhere, it doesn't sound like he was thrilled that the Lions let him leave, and that could be a decision they come to regret during the 2026 season.
Al-Quadin Muhammad Could Make Lions Regret Letting Him Walk
Based on Muhammad's first comments with the Buccaneers, he's going to look to get revenge on his former team. The Lions will host Tampa Bay at some point in the 2026 season, and the 30-year-old already has that game circled.
The 2025 season was a year to remember for Muhammad, recording career-highs in sacks (11), total pressures (53), and QB hits (32), according to Pro Football Focus. He gave this team a true threat off the edge opposite Aidan Hutchinson, but they decided not to bring him back, which is a bit surprising and certainly caught Muhammad off guard.
Yes, the Lions aren't overflowing with cash, but they have $30.2 million remaining, per OverTheCap, which would've given them more than enough money to re-sign Muhammad.
Reading between the lines here, the Miami product was open to the idea of returning to Detroit, but the feeling wasn't mutual. This could be something players on the team pay attention to. Despite coming off a career year and clearly loving the environment, it still wasn't good enough to get another deal with the Lions.
For pending free agents, this could alter their mindset regarding negotiating with the Lions. This is just one layer to unpack here.
The next question is, who do the Lions replace Muhammad with? There's now a clear void at EDGE, and getting someone you can record double-digit sacks with 50-plus pressures isn't easy. That's even harder when more free agents are being signed by the day, meaning Detroit will likely need to look to the 2026 NFL draft for help.
Even if they get help through the draft, the Lions could have still had that approach while keeping Muhammad around. With that now being water under the bridge, Detroit has a new task on its list, and if it's not filled in correctly, it will come back to haunt them in 2026.