Alex Anzalone: The business side of football doesn’t always line up with how things should go

Linebacker Alex Anzalone was one of the players to land a job with a new team after the free agent negotiating window opened on Monday.

Anzalone agreed to sign a two-year deal with the Buccaneers after spending the last five seasons with the Lions. In a farewell message posted to Instagram, Anzalone suggested that his first choice wasn’t to move on from Detroit.

“The business side of football doesn’t always line up with exactly how things should go,” Anzalone wrote. “Contracts end, decisions are made and sometimes paths diverge. It’s bittersweet, no doubt. I leave with nothing but appreciation.”

Running back David Montgomery, left tackle Taylor Decker, defensive lineman Roy Lopez, quarterback Kyle Allen, and cornerback Amik Robertson are other Lions set to move on to other teams for the 2026 season. All of the moves signal a bigger shift away from the Lions team that made a run to the NFC Championship Game after the 2023 season and the success of the revamped roster in 2026 will determine whether even more sweeping changes are in store in Detroit.