A four-time captain, Alex Anzalone is due to make $6 million in base salary as the Lions' second-highest-paid LB this fall
For the first time under Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes, the Detroit Lions have a contract dispute spilling out into the open.
Linebacker Alex Anzalone acknowledged on Day 3 of training camp that he's unhappy with his current contract and frustrated the team has done nothing yet to redo his deal.
"I'm disappointed, I'll just say that," Anzalone said. "I'm disappointed."
Anzalone is due to make $6 million in base salary this fall, with another $100,000 available in per-game roster bonuses, in the final year of a three-year, $18.75 million extension he signed with the team in 2023.
He did not take part in the Lions' formal workout program this offseason in part for contractual reasons but was active on social media posting workout videos and reposting comments by fans illustrating his worth.
A four-time team captain, Anzalone has been one of the Lions' best defensive players since he signed as one of Holmes and Campbell's first free agents in 2021. He played on two straight one-year deals in 2021-22, setting career-highs in tackles both seasons, and set another career-high with 129 tackles after signing his long-term extension in 2023.
Last year, Anzalone missed seven games with a broken forearm and the Lions defense struggled in his absence. He returned to play a key role in the team's division-clinching Week 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings and started two weeks later in the Lions' playoff loss to the Washington Commanders.
Asked if he feels like he's underpaid, Anzalone said bluntly, "Yeah."
Asked why he feels that way, he said, “I mean, it’s kind of obvious, I think. Production, play, the market."
According to OverTheCap.com, Anzalone is tied for the 34th-highest paid off-ball linebacker in the NFL, on an average-per-year basis, and is the second-highest-paid linebacker on the Lions. The Lions signed Derrick Barnes to a three-year, $24 million deal this offseason.
Anzalone said he was happy when the Lions re-signed his good friend, who missed most of last season with a torn MCL. Asked if Barnes' deal gave him a baseline to shoot for in his next deal, he said, "You got to ask Dan and Brad."
"He was in a, it seemed like a crappy situation just coming off a knee injury and they took care of him and just seeing one of your best friends in that situation take care of his wife and his baby boy, it's cool to see," Anzalone said.
Anzalone declined to characterize the dialogue he's had with the team about a new deal but expressed frustration that his situation has lingered into the summer.
"This is a weird situation," he said. "And I didn’t – it wasn't on my end or my agent's end, none of it."
The Lions have taken a proactive approach to re-signing most of their core players. Last year, they signed 2021 draft picks Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Alim McNeill to long-term extensions and gave new contracts to veterans Jared Goff, Taylor Decker and David Montgomery with one or more years left on their deals.
In April, the Lions signed Kerby Joseph to a new contract that made him the highest-paid safety in the NFL, and Holmes has indicated the team is looking to re-sign 2022-23 draft picks Aidan Hutchinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, Brian Branch, Jack Campbell and possibly Jameson Williams rather than splurge on outside free agents.
With so many players to pay – if the Lions give Campbell a deal near the top of the market, they will be the only NFL team with two linebackers averaging $8 million or more per season – and Anzalone entering his Age 31 season, re-signing Anzalone seems to be well down the Lions' priority list.
Anzalone acknowledged he considered a training-camp holdout, like Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, before reporting with other veterans last week.
"It's all relative, right, as far as financial situations," he said. "But I'm in a situation where I thought about it and it's for my own personal goals and what I want for the team. I just didn't think it was the best scenario."
He said he won't skip games for contractual reasons and insisted he is not taking part in practice now because he injured his hamstring during the Lions' conditioning test. Lions coach Dan Campbell first said Anzalone had a hamstring injury Monday, one day after saying he "crushed" his conditioning test.
Asked how he hopes his contract dispute ends, Anzalone said, "I want to retire a Lion. I want that opportunity. That's how I feel."
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Alex Anzalone contract update: Lions LB frustrated about current deal
Category: Football
