'It's Good to Have Buttercup Back': McNeill Rewarded For Being Pillar

Alim McNeill will be in a Lions uniform for the foreseeable future.

Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill (54). / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Detroit Lions have sent a clear message to their players.

Perform at a high level and conduct yourself in a manner that fits with the culture of the organization, then there is a significant opportunity to remain in a Lions uniform for many, many years.

Defensive tackle Alim McNeill was the latest core foundational player to earn a hefty, long-term contract extension.

"You come in here and you do what you're supposed to do, you do your job to the fullest extent, how couldn't you?" McNeill explained. "They just show that loyalty and that love to their guys. You come in here and do what you need to do and then some, you'll get what you need."

The 24-year-old was surprised at how fast things eventually went, once the negotiations got serious.

"I didn't really know when it was gonna be. I wasn't that locked in on that, to be honest," McNeill explained. "And then my agents called me, two days ago, and then things were getting more serious. I was like, 'Okay, this is getting crazy.' And then the next day, it happend, so I'm like, 'This is wild.' The timing was definitely crazy, because I didn't expect nothing right then at that time."

Despite earning $55 million in guaranteed monies, the 24-year-old plans to save a significant portion of his annual salary.

"As far as me, myself, it's not gonna change who I am, the person I am," McNeill said. "I'm gonna come in here and work like I did beforehand. Obviously, it changes a lot of different things, but just me as a person, I'm gonna stay the same."

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NFL locker rooms see when the right players get rewarded, which provides added motivation to stay the course, even in tough times.

"It gives everyone else in the locker room, like, 'Hey, you want to be rewarded, you want to make a ton of money like these guys, just watch these guys practice.' Just watch St. Brown, Penei, all these guys," Jared Goff said. "Just watch them work. It's an easy thing for them to do upstairs I'm sure to reward the right guys, but it feels good for us in the locker room."

Dan Campbell indicated the plan was for McNeill and David Montgomery to secure extensions, but sometimes negotiations take time to fully come together.

“This is something that we’ve wanted to do for a little while now. Ultimately you hate getting these done in the season. I mean, it’s good, but it’s like you’re trying to focus on football," said Campbell. "They are, we are, but yet sometimes you start working on these and it just takes a minute and it kind of bleeds into the season.

"It’s something we wanted to do and we knew we wanted Mac around here long term. I just go back, he’s one of the original, that original ’21 class," Campbell continued. "He’s a part of that corps with (Lions WR Amon-Ra) St. Brown and (Lions T Penei) Sewell and those guys. So, I’m just glad we got that done and he earned it. Everybody loves Mac, so it’s good to have Buttercup back.”