When Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell took on the Detroit Lions' rebuild in 2021, familiarity became easy to lean to. For Holmes it was getting Jared Goff, who he'd had a hand in drafting when he worked in the Los Angeles Rams' front office.
Campbell, and surely to some extent defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, influenced the decision to sign linebacker Alex Anzalone. The trio had spent some years together with the New Orleans Saints, and as Campbell might say Anzalone is/was "made of the right stuff."
After playing out two one-year deals in Detroit, Anzalone got contract security he'd never had before with a three-year deal from the Lions in 2023.
Of course that also meant he was entering the final year of that contract this year. While Anzalone's absence from voluntary OTAs was normal, and the Lions did not have a mandatory minicamp due to playing in the Hall of Fame game, he also sent clear messages that he wasn't happy with his contract situation.
In late July the Lions adjusted the final year of Anzalone's contract in a way that would pacify him, making most of the money he was in line to earn if he had stayed healthy fully guaranteed. A contract extension was never coming, which Holmes later practically confirmed.
Alex Anzalone acknowledges what he knows is coming
Anzalone has had another productive season this year, with 84 total tackles (second on the team), 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss. Among linebackers who've played at least half of their team's defensive snaps, he has earned as top-25 grade from Pro Football Focus for the second straight season. By PFF or any other measure, he is among the best coverage linebackers in the league.
Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers will be Anzalone's 40th home game (including the playoffs) in a Lions' uniform. After practice on Wednesday, he confirmed how aware he is that it could be his last.
"I thought about it over the weekend a little bit," Anzalone said, via Will Burchfield of 97.1 The Ticket. "It’ll be interesting. We’ll see how I feel. Hopefully it’s not, but we’ll see. I gotta treat it as such, I guess, just being in the moment. It’s kind of crazy."
A 4;25 p.m. ET Sunday kickoff would ordinairly be too late for his two young kids to attend, but son Cooper will be at Sunday's game with Anzalone's wife.
"They definitely wanted to be at this one," Anzalone said.
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Anzalone was asked about potentially being introduced with the defensive starters for the last time at Ford Field, to which he smiled and said, "Maybe that's when I’ll get all the feels."
Later asked if the door was open for a return to the Lions, Anzalone was hopeful while also acknowledging the reality of the situation.
"Oh yeah. Yeah, that’s what I’m hoping for. That's what I told Brad. And I think that’s what was communicated during training camp, is, that door’s not closed, it’s just not something they wanted to do at the moment. There was some uncertainty, which I get, with who they have to pay and all that stuff. But my focus is just taking it all in this week and trying to get these three wins."
Even as he moves further on the wrong side of the age curve at 31 years old, Anzalone shouldn't have much trouble securing a multi-year deal in free agency when the calendar flips to March. But the unignorable tea leaves say that multi-year deal will not come from the Lions, and he seems to be reconciling that in his mind.