Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone is entering the final year of his contract, and is among the team's players eligible for an extension ahead of the start of the 2025 campaign.
Currently, the Lions have already handed out one hefty extension this offseason to safety Kerby Joseph, and with other deals from last season taking effect there is dwindling space for the team to add more.
Anzalone is an interesting case when it comes to evaluating candidates for extensions, as he is in the final year of a three-year, $18 million deal. He was one of the first acquisitions for the team under the Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell regime, initially joining the team on a one-year deal in 2021.
He returned for 2022 on another one-year deal, then was rewarded with his three-year contract. In four seasons, he has started all 57 of his appearances with the Lions. Injuries have limited in two of those campaigns, but in 2022 and 2023 he stacked back-to-back 100-plus tackle seasons.
Now, ahead of his final season, the veteran could be seeking a new deal. When asked if he was present for the team's offseason voluntary workout program, linebackers coach Shaun Dion Hamilton declined to answer. It's worth noting that Anzalone was also not present for voluntary workouts last season.
Hamilton did elaborate on Anzalone's expected role for the 2025 season, which involves him once again wearing the badge of captain.
"Anzo, talk about a four-year captain, a leader on the team," Hamilton said. Got some much respect for the guy, just excited (about) where he is and moving forward as he comes into this next year, this season. It's gonna be a big season for him."
Anzalone has been an important part of the Lions' culture and the team's rise from the bottom of the NFC North to the top. He's one of the few players to be with the team for every year of the Holmes and Campbell era, and is clearly a leader both for the defense and the team as a whole.
A prime example of this was his absence and subsuquent return for the Lions last year. He missed several games with a fractured forearm suffered in Week 11. When he returned in Week 18 for the team's division-clinching win over Minnesota, there was a clear uptick in intensity for the defense as a result.
With him being the heartbeat of the defense, there is a clear claim for him to be worthy of an extension. He has truly embodied the Lions' culture and has been quite productive over the course of his four seasons with the organization.
In addition to be the defensive captain, he handles plenty of coverage and blitzing duties and has one of the most diverse job descriptions of any linebacker as the WILL in Detroit's system.
Negotiating the extension could be tricky with the finite amount of money the Lions have available for the 2026 campaign and beyond. However, the Lions have displayed an ability to work within the cap in how the team has handled extensions with Joseph, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell.
Assuming that Holmes and company can find a way to work in the deal, the veteran should be one of the next beneficiaries of the Lions' philosophy centered around paying their own players. Anzalone is deserving of the reward of a new deal for his contributions as one of the cornerstones of Detroit's culture.
