Yes, discounted phones on contracts are a thing of the past.

You do not have to buy the phone from Verizon, you can buy it unlocked from the manufacturer...but either way you are going to have to pay the retail price, or the monthly price of the device.

Phones are way more expensive than they used to be in the past.

If you have a current phone in good working condition, you can look into doing a trade-in....

I would reccomend waiting until holiday times to purchase a phone, as there are usually good promotions going on....especially around christmas time.