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Eric WoodyardJul 22, 2025, 12:15 PM ET
- Eric Woodyard covers the Detroit Lions for ESPN. He joined ESPN successful September 2019 arsenic an NBA newsman dedicated to the Midwest portion earlier switching to his existent relation successful April 2021. The Flint, Mich. autochthonal is simply a postgraduate of Western Michigan University and has authored/co-authored 3 books: "Wasted," "Ethan's Talent Search" and "All In: The Kelvin Torbert Story". He is simply a arrogant genitor of 1 son, Ethan.
ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone wants to decorativeness his playing vocation successful Detroit but admits to being "disappointed" successful however his declaration negotiations person gone truthful acold this offseason.
Anzalone, who is dealing with a hamstring injury, has yet to signifier but was spotted astatine the Meijer Performance Center roaming the sidelines connected Day 3 of grooming campy successful team-issued gear.
"I'm disappointed, I'll conscionable accidental that. I'm disappointed," Anzalone said Tuesday of his declaration negotiation.
Although the 30-year-old has expressed his tendency to scope a caller declaration agelong agone arsenic helium enters the last twelvemonth of his existent three-year, $18.75 cardinal declaration that was signed successful 2023, helium doesn't expect sitting retired immoderate regular play games owed to those concerns.
However, helium finds the concern unusual owed to their past unneurotic implicit the past 4 seasons wherever helium was a cardinal portion of the team's rebuild to relevancy.
"For sure. This is simply a weird concern and wasn't connected my extremity oregon my agent's end," Anzalone said portion speaking to reporters for the archetypal time.
Anzalone wouldn't spell into afloat item astir immoderate ongoing discussions but does consciousness he's underpaid comparative to different linebackers successful the NFL. In 2024, helium started successful each 10 appearances, portion logging the team's fourth-most tackles (63) -- 7 for loss.
"I privation to discontinue a Lion. I privation that opportunity," Anzalone said "That's however I feel."
On Sunday, Lions caput manager Dan Campbell said helium refused to judge that Anzalone not practicing is simply a portion of a "hold-in" concern owed to contractual issues. And determination is simply a accidental that Anzalone could perchance instrumentality to the signifier tract without a caller deal, but his intentions are wide arsenic helium looks to assistance Detroit triumph a Super Bowl.
"I enactment truthful overmuch into my clip present and being a four-time skipper and my teammates and the metropolis and conscionable surviving here," Anzalone said. "You could database each the reasons but it's conscionable important to me. I consciousness similar I emotion this place, and I privation that opportunity."
Lions All-Pro information Kerby Joseph is simply a large instrumentality of Anzalone, and his relation connected defense, and says he's supportive of "whatever helium feels helium needs to bash is champion and that's conscionable him."
