Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions.
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The Detroit Lions let go of a particular player who quickly found a new team, and now, they're getting a warning about it.
The Detroit Lions have made a handful of strong moves in NFL free agency, such as officially signing running back Isiah Pacheco from the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, March 12. But, they’ve also made a splash by letting players go, and one move may come back to bite them.
On Wednesday, March 11, the team let defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad walk, and he quickly signed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a one-year contract with a maximum value of $6 million, according to Spotrac research.
Of course, head coach Dan Campbell and the Lions have cap space to worry about, so they had to let some players go that they simply couldn’t afford for the 2026-27 season. But, Muhammad wasn’t in for a major pay hike, and the Detroit Lions obviously need help in the defensive end position, especially with not having a big-named pass rusher to pair with Aidan Hutchinson. Now, the team is getting shade for the move and warned that it may cost them.
Detroit Lions Defensive End Had No Problem Finding a New Home
Muhammad, who joined the NFL back in 2017, was lapped up quickly by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and for good reason. His 2025-26 season was packed with highlights, and he recorded career-highs in sacks at 11, total pressures at 53 and quarterback hits at 32, according to research from Pro Football Focus.
The Detroit Lions have roughly $30.2 million remaining to pay players, according to Over the Cap, so they had plenty of funds to keep Muhammad. The whole defensive end situation for the team is frankly a head-scratcher. They developed Muhammad only to let him go when he didn’t even have an outrageous paycheck.
In a Saturday, March 14, feature for Detroit Jock City, Richard Louis points out that the Lions could be “haunted” by letting Muhammad go.
“Reading between the lines here, the Miami product was open to the idea of returning to Detroit, but the feeling wasn’t mutual,” he notes. “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.”
He adds that the obvious next question is with whom they’ll replace Muhammad. “There’s now a clear void at edge, and getting someone you can record double-digit sacks with 50-plus pressures isn’t easy,” he notes. “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.”
Detroit Lions and Brad Holmes Make Small Moves
The Detroit Lions like short contracts and small deals. For example, they signed tight end Tyler Conklin, a Michigan native and Central Michigan University product, on Friday, March 13, and even though contract details weren’t disclosed, Spotrac projects him to get $3 million in a one-year deal.
So, the Lions like these one-year deals that don’t cost them too much, and that’s a smart tactic, but when other teams are making serious moves to make their franchise Super Bowl-ready, one has to wonder if the Lions will ever get to the big game. Still, Holmes and Campbell have earned respect in the league, so perhaps it’s time to just trust them and the process.