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The Detroit Lions have lost 11 free agents this offseason, including key players like Alex Anzalone and DJ Reader. The team has focused on savings, with only one significant signing averaging over $5 million per year.
TAMPA, FL - April 25: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Newly Signed Free Agent Alex Anzalone addresses the media during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Free Agents Press Conference on March 12, 202 at the AdventHealth Training Center at One Buccaneer Place in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
With DJ Reader agreeing to terms with the New York Giants this week, the Detroit Lionsā have now seen 11 of their own free agents sign elsewhere. You can see the full list of the Lionsā free agency losses and gains here with our 2026 Detroit Lions offseason tracker.
For a team that really values keeping and rewarding their own, itās been a surprisingly active offseason for Detroit. Much of that was by necessity. The Lions were clearly in savings mode, as only one of their free agency signingsāor even *re-signingsā*averaged more than $5 million per year (Cade Mays). Meanwhile, of the 11 players the Lions lost this free agency, four averaged more than $5 million a year: Roy Lopez (2-for-$10.5M), Alex Anzalone (2-for-$17M), Amik Robertson (2-for-$15M), and Reader (2-for-$12.5M). And while the Lions only handed out a single contract longer than a year (again, Mays), seven of the players they lost got at least two-year deals with their new team.
So todayās Question of the Day is:
My answer: I think itās Anzalone, and itās not all that close.
Anzalone received the biggest contract of any of Detroitās losses, with his deal averaging $8.5 million per year. His value goes well beyond being the teamās best coverage linebacker, too. He had a strong understanding of the defense heās been under for nearly a decade, heās a leader in the locker room, and heās capable of playing pretty much any linebacker position on this defense.
To complicate matters for the Lions, they donāt really have a clear replacement on their roster right now. They did add Damone Clark and Joe Bachie in free agency, but both of those players are most likely best served as depth or special teams contributors. Fourth-round pick Jimmy Rolder has the potential to grow into Anzaloneās role, but given his relative lack of experience as a one-year starter in college, it would be unrealistic to expect him to come in and immediate win a starting job.
Which Lions offseason lost do you believe is the biggest for Detroit? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
The key free agents lost include Alex Anzalone, DJ Reader, Roy Lopez, and Amik Robertson.
Four of the players lost averaged more than $5 million per year, with contracts like Anzalone's at $17 million over two years.
The Lions signed only one player, Cade Mays, who averaged more than $5 million per year.

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