Alex Anzalone back at Lions practice, but still no new contract

Alex Anzalone made his first on-field appearance of the 2025 offseason on Saturday. The veteran linebacker and Detroit Lions defensive captain practiced in positional drills and walkthroughs during the muggy morning practice.

Anzalone has been dealing with a hamstring issue for the first few days of training camp, remaining in street clothes for practices until Saturday. He's also been using his social media feed to lobby for a new contract with Detroit for most of the offseason, and that led to rampant speculation that the hamstring issue was a cover for a de facto "hold-in" of Anzalone not practicing until he got a new contract.

After Saturday's practice, Anzalone spoke briefly with local reporters and refuted the notion that he wasn't hurt. He indicated "it feels good", referring to the hamstring, but still has "no clue" when he'll be cleared to fully practice in team drills.

Twice during the session, Anzalone was asked if his appearance on the field meant he'd received what he has quite publicly advocated for, a new contract. Here's his reaction to the second time the question was asked:

Anzalone's bemused reaction says a whole lot more than just his "Uh no" words. He cut the media session short to go meet with trainers and then sign autographs for the fans in attendance, which he did for quite some time after practice ended.

This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Alex Anzalone's great reaction to his contract stalemate with Lions