Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone celebrates a second-half tackle against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on Monday, September 22, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. Longtime Detroit Lions captain Alex Anzalone and former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kenneth Gainwell have agreed to terms on two-year contracts with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ESPN reported Monday.
Linebacker Anzalone agreed to a $17 million contract and Gainwell will receive $14 million, according to the report.
Anzalone, 31, has played a huge role in Detroit’s revival and was a team captain in all five seasons with the Lions. He recorded 125 tackles in 2022 and a career-high 129 tackles in 2023.
He was enjoying another big season in 2024 before breaking his left forearm. He returned before the end of the season and recorded 63 tackles in 10 games.
There was friction between Anzalone and the Lions ahead of last season as he entered the final season of his contract. He received $250,000 in arbitration money under his contract and recorded 95 tackles in 16 games.
Anzalone was initially a third-round draft pick in 2017 and spent four seasons with the New Orleans Saints. He left as a free agent after the 2020 season and signed with the Lions.
In total, he recorded 613 tackles, 13 sacks and four interceptions in 111 games (93 starts) over nine NFL seasons.
Gainwell, 26, had his best season in five NFL seasons with the Steelers in 2025.
He finished with a career-high 537 rushing yards and his personal best five scores on the ground. He led Pittsburgh with 73 receptions. This also represents a career high, as did his 486 receiving yards and three scoring catches.
Gainwell averaged 24.3 yards on 26 kickoff returns last season.
Gainwell was a 2021 fifth-round pick who spent his first four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, leading them to a Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in February 2025.
Two postseasons ago, Gainwell had 181 rushing yards in three games, a season that ended with a loss to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
Overall, Gainwell has 1,722 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns and has caught 175 passes for 1,207 yards and four scores.
–Field level media
