Lions' Alex Anzalone Takes Side of Rival Player in Ongoing Contract Dispute
The Detroit Lions have managed to keep most of their team intact this offseason in a bid to three-peat as NFC North Division Champs.
The Lions captured the hearts and minds of millions of fans across Michigan and beyond this past season as they came within a handful of difficult injuries of advancing to the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, which would have been a home game at Ford Field in Detroit.
Advertisement
The Lions' Alex Anzalone fought bravely down the stretch of the season for the Lions as he braved a broken forearm to play in the Lions' biggest late season games.
On Tuesday, Anzalone found himself in a surprising position as he took to X to share his thoughts on a rival player's contract dispute.
Alex Anzalone with Aaron Jones of the Minnesota Vikings in January 2025. © David Reginek-Imagn Images
Anzalone retweeted comments from Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson on Tuesday, detailing Hendrickson's stance shared with reporters about an ongoing contract dispute.
"If I sat here with four sacks, they'd want a pay cut and some money back," Hendrickson said according to Ari Meirov.
"I'm not going to apologize for rates being paid to defensive ends in the National Football League."
Advertisement
Hendrickson has said he won't play this season on his current deal with the Bengals, which is valued at $15.8 million for this season.
Anzalone added, "This" as his comment along with his retweet.
Fans clamored for Hendrickson to leave the Bengals for the Detroit Lions, which prompted another tweet from Anzalone as he noticed they appeared to miss the crux of his post.
Related: Lions Rookie Isaac TeSlaa Gets Shout-out From 3-Time Pro Bowler
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
8 hours ago
- USA Today
Lions OTA health recap: Limited participants and their outlooks for 2025
Lions OTA health recap: Limited participants and their outlooks for 2025 My previous OTA article focused on players who had full participation at OTA. Now, let's review the full list of players who had limited to no participation according to Dan Campbell. Some of these players were expected to be limited; others were more of a surprise. The players are listed in order of most surprisingly limited to least. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR This established All-Pro doesn't need much work, if any, at OTA. But St. Brown revealed a surprise medical reason for his limitation stating he had offseason knee surgery to "clean some stuff up". This could mean a common arthroscopic knee procedure to trim frayed cartilage and clean out loose bodies in the knee. It's unlikely to be a short-term issue, but any cartilage damage has the potential to cause problems down the road. Good news is he stated he should be ready for the start of training camp. I have three videos last year of injuries to his knee area - the most suspicious of which may be to the left knee in week 17 vs the 49ers. He played through all these injuries and didn't miss a game all year. Jack Campbell, LB During OTA, he disclosed a minor hip operation this offseason that shouldn't be a concern going forward. The surgery is a surprise as Campbell played in all 18 games last year without a hint of a hip issue. Josh Paschal, EDGE Paschal only missed one game last year with a right knee issue, so his limitation is unexpected. This is a big year for him as he enters the fourth and final year of his rookie contract. Brodric Martin, DT (Right knee hyperextension - Aug 24, 2024) Maybe Martin is limited still by the right knee injury from last preseason. Or maybe there is something new going on. Either way, it's not ideal for this 2023 3rd-rounder who enters a possible make-or-break season. Last year, he missed half the season with the knee injury and only played 24 defensive snaps. Sione Vaki, RB During his rookie season, he missed just one game with a right knee in Week 9. Since he still has much to prove on the field, his limited participation raises eyebrows. Terrion Arnold, CB It's unknown the reason for his limitation, but there are no signs of concern at this point. Maybe he has already earned some veteran rest days after a solid rookie year. During that rookie year, Arnold missed only one game due to a groin issue. He also had minor injuries to his right foot in Week 18, a finger dislocation in Week 2, and a right knee issue in Week 3. Coming out of college, he was medically clean. Myles Adams, DT This 27-year-old, 7th-year player has been medically clean in limited action throughout his career. The reason for his limited participation is unknown. Kenny Yeboah, TE This free agent signing had a possible core muscle injury in 2024. Sometimes these injuries necessitate surgery, so that's something to consider going forward. Mekhi Wingo, DT (Right knee meniscus - Nov 28, 2024) The lack of OTA participation is a slight disappointment as a presumed meniscus repair could have been ready by now. This 2nd-year player's status for the start of training camp may be the biggest uncertainty on the team. Brian Branch, S Branch missed one game due to a concussion, but otherwise played in every game. While he was highly reliable, he did appear to be battling through multiple minor right leg issues in the second half of last season. This Pro-Bowler has nothing to prove, so his OTA limitation may be just load management. Miles Frazier, OG This 5th-round rookie was healthy coming out of college with no concerns. Dan Campbell mentioned many times that the rookies are being handled very conservatively prior to training camp. Thus, a rookie limitation at OTA isn't worth a second glance at this point. It is somewhat curious though, that while Frazier was limited, his fellow OG rookie, Tate Ratledge, was a full participant. Isaac TeSlaa, WR This 3rd-round rookie was healthy coming out of college with no active issues. As previously mentioned, the rookies are being managed very conservatively prior to training camp, so there is minimal concern here. Levi Onwuzurike, DT (L5-S1 spinal fusion - 2022) Last season, Onwuzurike displayed high availability by playing 17 of 18 games. His missed game was due to a left hamstring which isn't a concern. He did also have suspected minor right ankle and right knee injuries during the season. It's unknown the reason for his limitation at OTA, but ongoing load management for his spinal fusion would be prudent. David Montgomery, RB (Right MCL - Dec 15, 2024) While I had expected Montgomery to participate fully, his limited availability isn't a big surprise coming off his knee injury that involved at least the MCL. He also doesn't need any work being an established, 28-year-old RB. DJ Reader, DT The reason for his OTA limitation is unknown, but load management makes sense. Reader enters the season at age 31 with a history of bilateral quad tendon tears. The other consideration is that he missed one game with a left shoulder in Week 14, but reassuringly stated this offseason that he did not have any surgeries. Tyleik Williams, DT (Left hamstring - Mar 26, 2025) During OTA, Dan Campbell stated that Williams was still rehabbing. So he is dealing with something, presumably the hamstring from his pro day. With still over a month until training camp, he will likely be ready by then. Derrick Barnes, LB (Right MCL/PCL - Sep 22, 2024) Barnes was seen doing at least some work at OTA which is a reassuring sign. He still needs to build strength in the leg, but I expect him to be ready for training camp. Alex Anzalone, LB Anzalone and Ragnow were the only two players who did not attend OTA. While Ragnow's reason was retirement, Anzalone's definitely is not - at least based on his recent Instagram post showing high-intensity workouts. There are rumors that his absence is business-related as he enters his final contract year at age 30. The forearm fracture suffered last season is not a concern. Khalil Dorsey, CB (Right tibia/fibula fracture - Dec 15, 2024) Being limited at OTA was expected as he's only six months post injury. He has a decent chance to be ready for the start of the season, but a stint on PUP (physically unable to perform list) wouldn't be a surprise - even if only for roster management reasons. Malcolm Rodriguez, LB (Right ACL, Nov 28, 2024) Dan Campbell offered an estimated November return for Rodriguez which aligns with a fairly typical 11-month ACL timeline. Expect him to start training camp on PUP. His target return date may be November 2 vs the Vikings. Alim McNeill, DT (Right ACL - Dec 15, 2024) While every injury and player are different, we can expect McNeill's return roughly about two weeks later than Rodriguez's. Expect him to start camp on PUP with a possible target return date of November 16 vs the Eagles.
USA Today
17 hours ago
- USA Today
NFL analyst doesn't believe New York Giants will go from worst to first
NFL analyst doesn't believe New York Giants will go from worst to first Almost every season, it seems, an NFL team that finished last the year before wins their division. That team isn't expected to be the New York Giants, who finished 3-14 last season, per the experts at ESPN. The Giants are being given just a 3.3 percent chance of going "worst-to-first" and a 10.1 percent chance of qualifying for the NFC Playoffs. It's a little surprising that FPI doesn't have the Giants lower, as they are currently 27th in the NFL after being 31st before the 2024 season. But their QB room -- with Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston and Jaxson Dart -- should be an improvement over the options they had last season. I also expect them to have a better defense, which had a very poor turnover rate last season and adds edge rusher Abdul Carter to an exciting pass rush. The problem for New York is the schedule, rated as the toughest in the NFL based on both FPI and projected DVOA. That starts with the games in the Giants' own division, which now has a strong Commanders team, along with games against the NFC North and AFC West. Plus, the Giants play the 49ers and Patriots, who are both mentioned above as teams that should be better in 2025. Valid points on all sides, but the truth of the matter is the Giants have had little success against division rivals Philadelphia and Dallas over the past decade. Big Blue has come up small against the Cowboys, losing 15 of the last 16 meetings. Against the Eagles, they've only managed to win three times in 17 tries since 2017, including playoffs. With Philadelphia the reigning Super Bowl champions and Washington making it to the NFC Championship Game last year, the Giants will have a long climb out of the NFC East cellar.
USA Today
17 hours ago
- USA Today
Is ESPN's hypothetical Trey Hendrickson trade feasible for the Lions?
Is ESPN's hypothetical Trey Hendrickson trade feasible for the Lions? Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson continues to be in a contract dispute with the team. Until the issue is resolved, Hendrickson will continue to be the subject of trade speculation. With that speculation, and with the need for extra help on the edge, the Detroit Lions will be linked to any potential trade discussion for Hendrickson. But is a trade actually feasible for the team? Before getting into that, let's discuss the hypothetical trade idea for Hendrickson to the Lions that was proposed by ESPN's Ben Solak this week. Solak proposed Hendrickson and a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Lions for a 2026 second-round pick and a conditional 2027 fourth-round pick that can become a third. Solak wrote: "Lions general manager Brad Holmes has acknowledged the fan base wants a secondary edge rusher far more than he does, but I imagine a player of Hendrickson's caliber would change Holmes' calculus slightly. Hendrickson isn't the sort of run defender the Lions might prioritize, yet a pass-rush duo of Aidan Hutchinson and Hendrickson might be the scariest in the NFL. "The Lions are still legitimate Super Bowl contenders and should behave as such with aggressive veteran trades. They have plenty of cap space to extend Hendrickson, which he would demand of an acquiring team." The Lions currently have $40 million in salary cap space for 2025, but are currently projected to be about $14 million over the cap for 2026, according to Spotrac. That can easily be addressed by restructuring contracts, including that of quarterback Jared Goff, for example. Goff is currently scheduled to make $55 million in base salary. The Lions do have other players set for new contracts coming up and the money will start getting pretty high. Not the least of which is Detroit's leading edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson. In addition, safety Brian Branch is also due for an extension after this season. Tight end Sam LaPorta will also be coming up. All three have two years left on their rookie contracts -- Hutchinson had his fifth-year option picked up, Branch and LaPorta were not eligible for fifth-year options.
