Alex Anzalone
The Buccaneers are being predicted to sign Alex Anzalone
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.”
“TheBuccaneers 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.”