Alex Anzalone: ‘I Need to Retire With Lions However Upset’ By Contract Talks

Alex Anzalone is part of the DNA of the Detroit Lions. He just wants to be paid like that.

“I want to retire a Lion. I want that opportunity. That’s how I feel. I’m disappointed. Let’s just say that,” Anzalone said on Tuesday morning when asked about his contract talks with the franchise, according to MLive.com. “Disappointed.”

Anzalone, who’s entering the final season of a three-year, $18.3 million deal and is currently sidelined due to a hamstring injury, said that he made it clear “a while ago” to general manager Brad Holmes and Co. that he wanted a new contract in a situation the linebacker labels as “weird.”

The 30-year-old Anzalone – who turns 31 in September – has spent the past four seasons with the Lions (2021-24), most notably averaging 127 combined tackles per season from 2022-23. Last season, Anzalone missed six games due to a broken forearm and one game due to a concussion.

In the 11 regular-season games that he appeared in, Anzalone totaled 63 combined tackles, five passes defended and one sack; he then totaled 13 combined tackles in Detroit’s divisional round loss to the Washington Commanders. Anzalone ranked 17th among linebackers with a 73.7 coverage grade, 70th with a 67.8 overall grade, 83rd with a 59.7 pass-rush grade and 148th with a 56.3 run-defense grade, according to Pro Football Focus.

“I put so much into my time here and being a four-time captain and a teammate and the city, and just living here,” Anzalone said. “You can list all the reasons. It’s just important to me. I love this place. I want that opportunity. I feel like I’ve done that a lot [play through injuries] by my 4 years right here. I’m simply in a scenario the place it’s, you wish to be rewarded for that. Or at the very least in some regard, yeah.”

Anzalone, who was chosen within the third spherical of the 2017 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, was a part of a Lions protection that was fifth within the NFL in opponent dashing yards (98.4 per recreation) and seventh in opponent factors (20.1 per recreation) final season.

Detroit is coming off a 15-2 season however has a brand new defensive coordinator in former four-year crew linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard, who was promoted within the wake of former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn leaving to change into the brand new head coach of the New York Jets.

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