Alex Anzalone ‘disappointed’ by contract situation, wants to retire a Lion

Alex Anzalone spoke for the first time since it became clear he was hoping for a new contract, as he enters the final year of his three-year deal with the Detroit Lions. It was clear the 30-year-old linebacker is a bit frustrated and confused as to why he has not been able to get a new deal done with the team.

“I’m disappointed. I’ll just say that. I’m disappointed,” Anzalone said. Later adding, “This is a weird situation. And I didn’t — it wasn’t on my end, or my agent’s end.”

Anzalone is set to make a $6 million salary in 2025. This offseason, several NFL linebackers saw a significant bump in pay, including Zack Baun (three years, $51 million), Fred Warner (three years, $63 million), and Nick Bolton (three years, $45 million). Anzalone made it clear he believes he’s underpaid relative to his position.

“It’s just kind of obvious, I think. Production, play, the market,” Anzalone said.

As of right now, Anzalone is sidelined by a hamstring injury. He wouldn’t give a timeline for his return (“no clue”), but he made the decision to show up to camp instead of holding out away from the Lions’ facility.

“It’s all relative, right, as far as financial situations. But I’m in a situation where I thought about it and, for my own personal goals and what I want for the team, I didn’t think it was the best scenario (to not report),” Anzalone said.

Asked if he will return to practice without a new deal, Anzalone was non-committal, but did say that there are no plans for this to drag out and jeopardize his start to the regular season.

“I mean, I’m just taking this day-to-day right now. I mean, we’ll see. I have no clue,” Anzalone said.

Despite his current frustrations, Anzalone said he would still love the opportunity to retire a Detroit Lion.

“I put so much into my time here, being a four-time captain. My teammates, the city, and just living here, you can list all the reasons,” Anzalone said. “It’s just important to me. I feel like I love this place. I want that opportunity.”

The Lions have not had much of any comments on Anzalone’s situation this offseason. When asked on Sunday, coach Dan Campbell opted to keep those conversations internal.

“No. I mean, not that I can really talk about,” Campbell said about contractual disputes with Anzalone. “He’s here, reported, did great on the conditioning test, weight’s good and ready to go.”