Alex Anzalone came to the Detroit Lions in 2021 hoping to turn them into winners. Now, he’ll try to put the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the top.
Anzalone agreed to a reported two-year contract worth $17 million with his hometown Bucs on Monday afternoon at the start of the 2026 NFL free agency negotiating period. The deal will not become official until the new league year opens at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the New York Jets and New York Giants were also interested.
Anzalone, 31, was one of the first free-agent signings by coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes in 2021, and has been a staple of the Lions defense since.
He led the team with a career-high 125 tackles in 2022, topped that with 129 stops in 2023, and after missing time with a broken forearm in 2024 had 95 tackles and a career-high nine pass breakups last season.
But the veteran linebacker has appeared headed for a breakup with the Lions since last year, when he skipped offseason workouts in a contract dispute and received only a slight bump in pay when he returned to practice in training camp.
A four-time team captain, Anzalone played on two straight one-year deals in 2021-22 before signing a three-year, $18.75 million extension in 2023. He told the Free Press in December last year’s contract dispute wouldn’t prevent him from returning to Detroit.
“Just business,” he said. “I want to come back, but … I got to do what’s best for me and my family when it comes time. We’ll see what that is. Hopefully it’s here.”
The Lions maintained some interest in re-signing Anzalone again this offseason, but already are heavily invested at the linebacker position. They gave Derrick Barnes a three-year, $25.5 million extension last spring at the start of free agency and are expected to lavish Jack Campbell with a new contract this offseason that makes him one of the highest-paid linebackers in the NFL.
The Lions, who went 9-8 last season and failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2022, do not have any other linebackers currently under contract for 2026.
Tampa Bay finished 8-9 in 2025 to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
News broke around the same time that we learned Lions cornerback Amik Robertson agreed to a two-year deal with the Washington Commanders.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Alex Anzalone leaving Lions for Buccaneers in NFL free agency
Reporting by Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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