The Detroit Lions have the first contractual situation on their hands in the Dan Campbell/Brad Holmes era.
On Tuesday, veteran linebacker Alex Anzalone made it abundantly clear that he wants a new contract and is not particularly happy with how negotiations have gone so far.
“Yeah, for sure, for sure,” Anzalone answered when asked if he was surprised a deal hasn’t gotten done. “Yeah, this is a weird situation. And I didn’t—it wasn’t on my end. Or my agent’s end.”
But the Lions are in a predicament. With at least a half-dozen young, foundational players eyeing new contracts in the next year or two, the team must decide if it’s worth paying a player “market value” when that player is entering his 31-year-old season.