Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pro Bowl linebacker Kwon Alexander intends to sign a four-year, $54 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The deal includes $27 million in rolling guarantees, per Florio.
Kwon Alexander will sign a four-year, $54 million deal, with $27 million in rolling guarantees, per source.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 11, 2019
The Buccaneers had reportedly shown strong interest in bringing back Alexander, but in the end, the 49ers made a more compelling case just hours into the NFL’s legal tampering period ahead of free agency.
Alexander, now 24, posted promising performances from 2015 to 2017 before Alexander tore his ACL in the middle of the 2018 season. Through six games last season, he defended two passes while also recording a sack, two forced fumbles, and 45 tackles.
2017 marked Alexander’s first of what will likely be many Pro Bowl selections. That season, the former fourth-round selection out of LSU started all 12 of the games he appeared in, defending four passes while intercepting another three. He also forced a fumble and made 97 tackles.
Alexander must pass a physical before his signing becomes official on Thursday (at the earliest), which is something to monitor considering the unknown status of his rehabilitation following the ACL tear.
Alexander’s decision to head out west certainly hurts the Tampa Bay organization, while bringing even more optimism to a 49ers fanbase that gets offensive stars Jerick McKinnon and Jimmy Garoppolo back next season.
