Alex Anzalone’s departure from the Detroit Lions was a year in the making. After unsuccessfully campaigning for a contract extension, Anzalone played out a season where the Lions missed the playoffs for the first time since 2022. When the season ended, Anzalone’s beef continued with comments on social media about the team, leaving few surprised when the defender signed a two-year, $17 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency.
The Buccaneers gave Anzalone the long-term security he wanted, plus a chance to move back to Florida, where he played for the Gators during his standout collegiate career. But while Tampa is certainly warmer than Detroit, the grass may not be greener as the Buccaneers sort out their issues from a busy offseason.
Buccaneers' Drama Could Make Alex Anzalone Long for the Lions in 2026
Anzalone is in a great spot to begin his time with the Bucs. Aside from the lucrative contract, he is projected to have a key role after Lavonte David announced his retirement last month. There’s also a good chance he’ll be playing on a competitive team as the NFC South has been the worst division in football for a few years running, including sending the 8-9 Carolina Panthers to the playoffs as the division champion.
This is all great until you look at the entire landscape of the Buccaneers. Mired in a “meh” division, the Buccaneers have been even more lukewarm. While last year ended a stretch of four straight division titles and five straight winning records, the Bucs haven’t won more than 10 games since going 13-4 in the 2021 season. Head coach Todd Bowles has also done his best Jeff Fisher impersonation during this time, going 9-8 or 8-9 in three of his four seasons and posting a 35-33 record after taking over for Bruce Arians in 2022.
The retirement of Lavonte David was a sign of a team that was in decline, but so was the departure of Mike Evans, who left to sign with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency. There was also a rumor that Evans decided to leave Tampa because the team decided to keep Bowles for a fifth season despite his underwhelming tenure.
This rumor was so strong that general manager Jason Licht had to come out and “strongly” disagree that it was the case. While Bowles admitted that Evans’s departure “stung” in an interview with NFL Network’s Good Morning Football earlier this week, he may have played a minor role in a season that began with a 5-1 start before losing eight of their final 11 games to miss the playoffs.
Even in a weak division, this is drama that most teams could do without, and it could make Anzalone secretly long for Detroit like the Wolverine meme.
Detroit hasn’t been clear of drama this offseason with the release of Taylor Decker, the request for retired center Frank Ragnow to repay some of his signing bonus, and a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that David Montgomery asked for a trade before being sent to the Houston Texans this offseason. But there’s also an argument that the Lions could overcome their drama and become contenders in the NFC in 2026.
There’s also a scenario where Bowles gets fired after another underwhelming season. With a new regime in place, it’s possible that Anzalone will not be part of their plans entering his age-32 season in 2027, which could have him looking for a new job next spring.
Perhaps the benefits of heading to the Bucs will outweigh any feelings over leaving Detroit. But Anzalone could find himself on a middling team, hoping to win their division by November, and it could pale in comparison to what the Lions could be capable of this season.