The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have gotten a hometown discount from a coveted free agent, and it’s a player who might be able to change the entire face of their defense.
“Confirming Bucs have agreed to a contract with Lions FA LB Alex Anzalone,” Tampa Bay Times NFL reporter Rick Stroud wrote on his official X account on Monday. “He lives in Tampa.”
“The Buccaneers have agreed to terms with LB Alex Anzalone on a two-year, $17 million deal,” NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo wrote on his official X account. “Thor heads to Tampa … He turned down more money elsewhere to join the Bucs.”
Anzalone’s ties to the South are heavy — the Pennsylvania native starred at the University of Florida from 2013 to 2016 and spent the first 4 seasons of his career with the New Orleans Saints.
Anzalone, 31 years old, had 95 tackles, 9 pass deflections, 2.5 sacks, 8 QB hits and 1 interception in 2025.
From Fox Sports’ pre-free agency rankings: “Anzalone, 31, has had a productive five-year run in the middle of Detroit’s defense, averaging 14 starts and 98 tackles per year. He’s done it inexpensively, making $6 million a year on his last deal. Could his time with the Lions be up? Seems he could land with Aaron Glenn and the Jets if that is the case — Glenn was with him for four of those years in Detroit and arguably his best.”
Injury Issues Defined Anzalone Early in Career
Anzalone, 6-foot-3 and 234 pounds, has become 1 of the NFL’s most durable players after injuries defined the early part of his football career.
In 4 seasons at Florida, Anzalone missed 20 games and only played 1 full season, in 2014, when he was a backup.
Those problems continued into his NFL career after the Saints drafted him in the 3rd round (No. 76 overall) of the 2017 NFL draft — he missed a whopping 26 games over his first 3 NFL seasons.
Since joining the Lions on a 1-year, $2.5 million contract in 2022, he’s been one of the NFL’s most consistently durable players and has only missed 11 games, total, since the 2020 season.
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