The Detroit Lions let one of their starting linebackers walk in free agency, allowing Alex Anzalone to hit free agency and land with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The deal that sent him there, which is for two years and $17 million, seems like a pretty small deal to have gotten done to land a starting defender who still has something left in the tank.
But, the one thing to note as it pertains to the Lions' unwillingness to sign Anzalone, aside from them wanting to save as much money possible in order to rebuild their trenches, is that Detroit has yet to come to an extension with either Jahmyr Gibbs or, more importantly, Jack Campbell. Campbell is the new face of the defense, and they want to pay him as such.
That threw an entire wrench into their chances at re-signing Anzalone. Despite how affordable this deal looks on paper, Detroit has far too much left to invest in Campbell in the future.
Lions' decision on Anzalone says everything about Campbell's value
Campbell finished up atop almost every end of year linebacker ranking, posting 89 solo tackles (4th), three forced fumbles, and five sacks. He was an absolute unit next to Derrick Barnes in flashes, making Anzalone's presence feel a little obsolete. With Anzalone also creeping towards a potential fall off in productivity, it was just the right time to cut ties.
With Anzalone walking, Detroit could be in on drafting a linebacker to add back to the room. They also have a few free agent linebackers they can bring back for cheap, such as Malcolm Rodriguez, Grant Stuard, and Zach Cunningham. While Stuard was more of a special teams piece for Detroit in 2025, he's shown the ability to be a decent run stopper.
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Campbell could be looking at a massive payday as soon as this offseason, although Detroit can always exercise their fifth year option on him as he was a first round pick from 2023. On May 1, teams have to decide whether to use that tool at their disposal or risk those first rounders becoming free agents in 2027.
Campbell and Gibbs fit that bill, and those are two huge cogs for Detroit and their contention window still being pretty open. Their relative youth coupled with their stardom make them obvious candidates for extensions shortly.