The Detroit Lions have the first contractual situation on their hands in the Dan Campbell/Brad Holmes era.
On Tuesday, veteran linebacker Alex Anzalone made it abundantly clear that he wants a new contract and is not particularly happy with how negotiations have gone so far.
“Yeah, for sure, for sure,” Anzalone answered when asked if he was surprised a deal hasn’t gotten done. “Yeah, this is a weird situation. And I didn’t—it wasn’t on my end. Or my agent’s end.”
But the Lions are in a predicament.
With at least a half-dozen young, foundational players eyeing new contracts in the next year or two, the team must decide if it’s worth paying a player “market value” when that player is entering his 31-year-old season. Complicating matters is the fact that they just paid linebacker Derrick Barnes, and 2022 first-round pick Jack Campbell—who has taken the lead role among linebackers—is due for a big payday as soon as next year.
On this week’s Midweek Mailbag podcast, we discuss the tough decision facing the Lions with a potential Anzalone extension. It’s tough because it’s easy to see both sides.
On one hand, Anzalone has been Detroit’s best linebacker by far for the last four seasons. He’s been a major reason for the turnaround, and we saw just how far the defense fell once he was out late in the season (along with a handful of other injuries). Detroit has often referred to Anzalone as a critical foundation of the defense, and even with an improved roster, he feels essential to what they do. Campbell and Holmes have historically rewarded those kinds of players.
But it’s not that simple for Anzalone. He’s entering the twilight of his career, and Jack Campbell is starting to take some of the critical duties from Anzalone and put them on his plate. Additionally, with the Lions currently projected to be in the negative in cap space for 2026, every financial decision is a delicate one. With a huge spike in the linebacker market recently, Anzalone may be simply too expensive for them.
On the show, I debate with Erik Schlitt about what may be the biggest points of contention in negotiations, and our current views on whether a deal will eventually get done. That conversation kicks off this week’s episode.
You can listen to it below or on your preferred podcasting platform.
You can catch an extended version of the podcast—with video—over on our YouTube or Twitch.
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