The Detroit Lions are watching two key members of the defense head to free agency in a move that will create more of a cap crunch for the team.
Linebacker Alex Anzalone and defensive lineman DJ Reader saw their contracts officially voided this week, leaving the team with a big cap hit. The Lions face some key decisions on both players, and will do so under a bigger cap crunch.
Lions Facing Difficult Decisions
As SI.com’s John Maakaron noted, the Lions will see $4.9 million of dead cap added to 2026 due to the voided contracts of Anzalone and Reader. The Lions have a total of $9.2 million in dead money costs for the upcoming season, he added.
The Lions will have a chance to bring Anzalone and Reader back if they choose, Maakaron added, but have already taken the hit from their voided contracts.
“Both are still able to have conversations with the Lions starting March 9, during the legal tampering period, to negotiate with general manager Brad Holmes about new contracts, if both parties agree,” Maakaron wrote.
Lions Could Lose Alex Anzalone
The prospects for bringing back Anzalone may not be good. Reporter Greg Auman of Fox Sports predicted he would follow former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to the New York Jets.
“Anzalone, 31, has had a productive five-year run in the middle of Detroit’s defense, averaging 14 starts and 98 tackles per year,” Auman wrote. “He’s done it inexpensively, making $6 million a year on his last deal. Could his time with the Lions be up? Seems he could land with Aaron Glenn and the Jets if that is the case — Glenn was with him for four of those years in Detroit and arguably his best.”
Glenn reportedly wants to bring back some of his former players. Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic said on “Jets Final Drive” that the Jets were “actively” looking for players who already “know what Aaron Glenn is about.” Rosenblatt suggested that both Anzalone and cornerback Amik Robertson could be targets for the Jets this offseason.
The Lions got another bad sign on Anzalone’s future when he got in a spat with the team’s social media team this week. As SI.com’s Christian Booher noted, Anzalone called out the Lions for failing to recognize his career high in pass breakups this season when they made a post celebrating other breakups.
“On Sunday, Anzalone sparked more debate about his future with a comment he posted on social media. The Lions posted a highlight video for Valentine’s Day, playing a fun twist on the holiday by including clips of pass breakups the defense recorded throughout the season,” Booher wrote.
“Anzalone notched a career-high total in pass breakups this season with nine, but none of those were featured in the video. He noticed this, and made a quip on social media directed at the video.”
Anzalone noted that the team featured other free agents in their video, but ignored his nine passes defensed this year. He later deleted his post calling out the team.
Lions Take $5 Million Hit as Two Key Veterans Head to Free Agency