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Detroit Lions' Al-Quadin Muhammad wants to 'put league on notice'
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- Detroit Lions' Al-Quadin Muhammad wants to 'put league on notice'
Detroit Lions defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad had the chance to celebrate getting back to the NFL playoffs with his biggest motivation, as he does after every win.
After he had a key sack late, Muhammad was joined by his son, Al-Quadin Muhammad Jr., in the Lions locker room after Detroit beat the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18 to clinch the NFC's No. 1 seed and the NFC North division title.
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Muhammad brought his son into the locker room to rock the Honolulu Blue "Ready to roll" champions T-shirt and see the atmosphere for himself. The younger Muhammed was able to soak up the atmosphere his dad hopes he could reach himself. In an interview with WXYT-TV after the game, the son wrapped his arm around his dad, called him a "dawg" and said he loved him.
"For me, it means the world because that's a moment that he will never forget," Muhammad told the Free Press. "And he's a young athlete. He's really, really talented and looks up to me, so my biggest thing is being a role model to him, setting an example and just showing him how it's done on and off the field. I always try to be the best I can be so he can follow in my footsteps. And it means everything, it was a great moment."
Muhammad and his son celebrate together after every game, whether or not the boy can make the trip from New Jersey to watch in person. His son has been with him every step of the way during his football career and helped serve as motivation through the ups and downs.
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Muhammad, 29, had his son as a senior in high school before he committed to Miami (Florida). As a Hurricane, things weren't always smooth. After appearing in five games as a freshman, Muhammad missed all of his second season due to an off-campus fight, was suspended for one game his third year and was kicked off the team as a redshirt junior after a luxury car dealership let him test drive a car for free.
Detroit Lions linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad (69) celebrates a play against Minnesota Vikings during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025.
He then entered the 2017 draft and was selected in the sixth round by the New Orleans Saints after his Miami coaches vouched for him as a person and player. The Saints featured current Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn coaching defensive backs and current Lions head coach Dan Campbell working as the assistant head coach (and overseeing tight ends).
From there, it was a long three-team journey — featuring the Colts , Bears and Cowboys — to Detroit as a midseason addition this season.
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He spent one season in New Orleans , with no games played, before being cut and joining the Colts' defensive end rotation in 2018. With Indy, he appeared in 15 games from 2018-21. He then joined the Chicago Bears in 2022, appearing in 16 games with nine starts, before being cut. He rejoined the Colts practice squad in 2023, but was suspended six games for using a performance-enhancing substance.
"When I went through that, I was just motivated more than ever to get back to work," Muhammad said. "When the opportunity comes, take advantage of that opportunity to be the best that I can be and it's shown."
He joined the Dallas Cowboys for 2024 training camp but did not make the opening week roster.
He did not have a team until October, when he joined the Lions practice squad . Six days after the Lions added him as defensive end depth, star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson broke his leg against the Cowboys.
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Muhammad signed to the active roster two games later and made his Detroit debut against the Tennessee Titans . He has become a regular part of the makeshift defensive line rotation — along with Za'Darius Smith, Josh Paschal and Levi Onwuzurike — appearing in nine games with two starts. He finished the year with three sacks, including two in the final three games, and four tackles for loss.
"Dude, he's grown," Campbell said Thursday. "... We really feel like over the last three weeks, he's gotten better and better and better. We brought him in, we had to use him basically immediately, got him out there and he gave us everything he had, but he had also just walked back into the building.
"So, he's a little rusty, then trying to learn our terminology, and then scheme too. The style in which we play was different than what he's played in his career. We ask him to do things a little bit different, and so there was a growing period for a veteran guy, and he's done it."
Detroit Lions linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad (69) sacks Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025.
Muhammad's journey has been unorthodox, but it helped him learn how to battle through adversity and also impart those same lessons to his son.
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"Life is not perfect," Muhammad said. "And for him to watch me and see me overcome so much adversity, I think it's good for him to witness that and to understand no matter what happens, you just keep working hard, you keep fighting and you just keep getting better in life."
His teammates say the work he puts in each day at practice has helped him earn more of these opportunities as the season has progressed, like many others on the defense who did not have a key role until someone else in front of them went down.
"He comes in every day and works his ass off," linebacker Trevor Nowaske told the Free Press. "He's taking the most of these opportunities which has kind of been the theme this season with a lot of guys."
Juice in the pass rush
According to NFL NextGenStats , Muhammad ranks 13th in the NFL with a 15.9% quarterback pressure rate on his pass rush snaps, trailing only Hutchinson (16.8%) among Lions this season. He has been a part of a Detroit defense that ranks fourth in pressure rate since Week 7 and first in pressure rate on non-blitz plays (37.1%) in that same time.
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"I feel like he's really coming around and that's encouraging," Campbell said.
Though they've been able to pressure the quarterback, sacks have still been hard to come by. Detroit finished with 37 sacks, 24th in the NFL, with Muhammad, Smith and D.J. Reader leading active Lions in bringing down QBs.
The hard work Muhammad put in to get another opportunity has been paying off for himself and his team, which he said he always knew was going to come.
"At the end of the day, you can never count Muhammad out because I have everything I need to be the best I can be," Muhammad said. "The only thing people like myself do is look for opportunities to prove whomever wrong and also to prove to myself that I am a great player in this league."
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His next opportunity will come Saturday night. The Lions host the Washington Commanders in the divisional round for a chance to reach the NFC championship game for the second straight year.
"I am super excited," Muhammad said. "I am super excited and I'm just looking for that next opportunity to make some great things happen and put the league on notice."
Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press . Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22 , and email him at jramsey@freepress.com .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions' Al-Quadin Muhammad has 'grown' as pass rusher and dad
