Alex Anzalone's latest cryptic post amid Lions contract uncertainty is troubling

Mike Moraitis

Alex Anzalone's latest cryptic post amid Lions contract uncertainty is troubling image

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone has made yet another cryptic post on social media that could have to do with his desire for a new contract.

While we haven't received confirmation that Anzalone's absence from OTAs is contract-related, you can connect the dots and draw that conclusion after past cryptic posts.

The veteran linebacker is entering the final year of his current contract, but it doesn't include any guaranteed money.

On Tuesday, Anzalone made yet another cryptic post to social media that would appear to pertain to his current contract situation.

The post includes video of Anzalone working out, so he's clearly not sitting on his butt at home while absent from OTAs. But it also included a troubling caption.

"In life, you have options," Anzalone wrote. "Which will you choose?"

It remains unclear what options Anzalone is talking about exactly.

Is he talking about choosing to sit it out until he gets a new deal? Could he demand a trade if he doesn't get what he wants? We can't say for sure.

What we can say is that Anzalone is incredibly valuable to the Lions' defense, and we saw that first hand while he was injured last season, and upon his return from the broken forearm.

The annual average of Anzalone's deal is $6.25 million, which ranks outside of the top 30 at linebacker.

Taking it a step further, Anzalone isn't even the highest-paid linebacker on the team after Derrick Barnes was given a contract extension earlier this offseason. Bear in mind, Barnes is far less proven of a commodity than Anzalone is.

The Barnes extension probably didn't help, but Anzalone deserved a pay raise even before that. We'll see if he gets it, but the Lions have to be careful about making too big of a commitment for a player who is set to turn 31 in September.

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Mike Moraitis

Mike Moraitis is a freelance writer who covers the NFL for the Sporting News. Over his nearly two decades covering sports, Mike has also worked for Bleacher Report, USA TODAY and FanSided. He hates writing in the third person.