On Wednesday, Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone spoke to the media and expressed clear frustration together with his contract state of affairs. The veteran defender is coming into the ultimate 12 months of a three-year deal signed in 2023, and stated outright he consider he’s presently underpaid at his $6 million wage for 2025.
“It’s simply form of apparent, I feel,” Anzalone stated about being underpaid. “Manufacturing, play, the market.”
As he stays sidelined at Detroit Lions camp with a hamstring harm, it’s clear he’s additionally annoyed with the place negotiations presently lie with the staff.
“I’m upset, I’ll simply say that. I’m upset,” Anzalone stated.
On Friday, coach Dan Campbell provided his ideas on the state of affairs. And whereas he wasn’t going to get into specifics, he did provide a bit of extra optimism on the state of affairs, noting that they nonetheless worth him as a participant, and the road of communication stays open.
“You guys know the way I really feel about Alex, how we really feel about Alex. He’s one in all our dudes. we’ve leaned on him. He’s a productive participant,” Campbell stated. “We’re good, nonetheless speaking. There’s no animosity right here. There’s nothing like that. So, I’m not going to enter anything exterior of that. However we’re going to be good. We’re going to be good, and, sure, we’re going to wish him.”
Final 12 months, Anzalone completed fourth on the staff in tackles, second in tackles for loss, and was typically the emotional chief of the staff. Nonetheless, there does appear to be a little bit of transition taking place on the linebacker place. Third-year defender Jack Campbell has taken over the inexperienced dot at MIKE linebacker, and the Lions have even touted the protection as “Campbell’s protection” now.
“I imply that is his protection. I imply, he’s taken possession, he stepped in there and he kinda units the tone for everyone,” Dan Campbell stated on SiriusXM earlier this week.
For now, issues stay at a stalemate. Anzalone continues to sit down at apply, whereas there was no reported motion in his contract negotiations. It’s unclear when (or if) Anzalone will return to apply, however he did word that he doesn’t count on to sit down out the common season.
