The free agent tampering period began on Monday and one of the expected casualties for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was middle linebacker Kwon Alexander, who suffered a season ending knee injury in 2018.
The 2017 Pro Bowl linebacker has agreed to a 4-year, $54-million deal to sign with the San Francisco 49ers, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. In Alexander’s Pro Bowl season in 2017, the speedy linebacker racked up over 90 tackles and intercepted three passes.
2018 was a tough season for Alexander, as he tore his ACL in the seventh week and did not return. Alexander is still rehabbing his knee and isn’t scheduled to take part in any footvall activities for another few months.
The signing for the 49ers becomes another risky move for former Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ strong safety and current San Francisco general manager John Lynch, who wanted to make a splash in free agency this time around.
Alexander’s departure to San Francisco figures to be part of what will be a overhaul of Tampa Bay’s main pieces to the defense. Since the hiring of Bruce Arians, the former Arizona Cardinals’ head coach has spoken about certain players and wanting to retain them.
Re-signing Alexander was always going to be tough, with Tampa Bay currently having the least amount of cap space of any NFL team. Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht has said the team would love to have Alexander back but at the right price.
When the free agency tampering period began, many predicted that Alexander would command upwards up $11-million per season on the open market. He will end up making $13.5-million the next four years in San Francisco.
