The Green Bay Packers' NFC North rivals have given them plenty to laugh about this offseason, especially when it comes to the Detroit Lions. After finishing at the bottom of the division in 2025, the Lions continue to find ways to amuse Packers fans with their incompetence, which was a trend that has bled into the NFL's legal tampering period.
On Thursday, the Lions' pass rush lost a serious contributor and a threat the Packers will no longer worry about.
"(Tampa Bay Buccaneers) added another veteran up front, signing former Lions edge Al-Quadin Muhammad to a 1-year deal with a max value of $6M, source said," NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported. Addressing their pass rush was already one of the Lions' top concerns this offseason, and that unit looks a lot worse with Muhammad in the fold.
Of course, the Packers won't shed any tears for departure. Unless they come from laughter, that is.
Packers Score Big as Lions Lose Al-Quadin Muhammad
It's pretty amusing that the Lions couldn't retain Muhammad after seeing what the Buccaneers paid. Spotrac listed his market value at $7.9 million, so the fact that Tampa Bay signed him at a lesser number makes Detroit's incompetence that much clearer.
Muhammad, with a career-high 11.0 sacks, a 15.4% pass rush win rate, which was good for No. 24 overall, and a top-10 10.2 pass rush productivity rating, was Detroit's second-best pass-rusher behind Aidan Hutchinson. Without him, Hutchinson figures to shoulder an unenviable burden or flat out decline without an adequate replacement.
Hutchinson, to his credit, didn't downplay Muhammad's importance to his game when asked in February about the possibility of the soon-to-be-31-year-old returning.
"If Quan came back, I’d love that. I haven’t heard what’s going on, but yeah, Quan was one of my favorite teammates, so I’d love to have him back," Hutchinson said. "Eleven sacks off of just those 500 snaps just goes to show how efficient he was and how he really made use of the reps that he got, which is really, honestly, it’s really impressive to watch for sure."
The thing is, the Packers weren't even particularly terrorized by Muhammad. He failed to register a sack during the two teams' meetings last season, both losses, and had one assisted tackle. In fact, the only pressure he generated during those encounters was a lone quarterback hit in Week 1, according to Pro Football Focus.
It's just that after they lost defensive tackle Roy Lopez to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday, the Lions' defensive line identity is falling apart. Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard was gunning for a Motor City exit in January, but couldn't land a head coaching job. Factor in the loss of linebacker Alex Anzalone, also to the Bucs, and other depth departures, and the Lions look like a clear rebuilding team. Which is to say, not an immediate threat this coming fall.
It's a good day to be a Cheesehead, watching Detroit's disarray from afar. The Packers can breathe easy knowing that the Lions likely won't be much of a threat to their NFC North aspirations this fall.