Alex Anzalone Bio
Alex Anzalone is an American professional football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Florida Gators, he was selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints and has since built a reputation as a durable, sideline-to-sideline defender. Across his career he has appeared for the Saints, the Detroit Lions, and most recently the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, amassing more than 600 total tackles while contributing in pass coverage and on special teams.
Early Life and Background
Alex Anzalone was born on September 22, 1994, in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, a small borough in Berks County known for producing steady, blue-collar athletes. Of Italian descent, he grew up in a close-knit family environment that valued discipline, faith, and physical work. Anzalone is a Christian, a faith that has remained central to his identity and family life throughout his career.
He attended Wyomissing Area High School, where he developed into a multi-sport athlete and a promising linebacker prospect. His combination of size, mobility, and field awareness drew attention from several college programs, and he eventually chose to continue his football career at the University of Florida. He has been listed at 6 feet 3 inches tall and around 234 pounds, a frame that allowed him to play both inside and outside linebacker.
Path to American Football
Coming out of Wyomissing, Anzalone originally committed to Ohio State and later to Notre Dame before ultimately signing with the Florida Gators. He enrolled at Florida and spent four seasons with the program from 2013 to 2016, working through a college career that was repeatedly interrupted by injuries. His only fully healthy season came in 2014, when he served as a backup linebacker, while he played ten games as a true freshman in 2013, two games in 2015, and seven games in 2016.
Despite missing roughly 20 games during his college career, Anzalone flashed the traits that NFL scouts look for in a modern linebacker: range in coverage, the ability to pursue sideline to sideline, and physicality against the run. After his junior season, he decided to forgo his final year of eligibility and declared for the 2017 NFL draft, where he was projected as a Day 2 pick.
Alex Anzalone Career
Early Career (2017–2020)
The New Orleans Saints selected Anzalone in the third round, 76th overall, of the 2017 NFL draft, making him the tenth linebacker taken that year. On June 2, 2017, he signed a four-year rookie contract worth $3.46 million, including a signing bonus of $864,592. He quickly earned a starting outside linebacker job as a rookie, starting all four games he appeared in before a shoulder injury in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins ended his season and sent him to injured reserve.
In 2018, Anzalone played all 16 games and started seven, finishing with two sacks, 59 total tackles, one interception, two passes defended, and three forced fumbles. Injuries continued to challenge him in 2019, when he appeared in only two games and recorded one sack before landing on injured reserve. He rebounded in 2020, playing all 16 games with nine starts and posting 41 total tackles.
Detroit Lions Era (2021–2025)
On March 24, 2021, Anzalone signed with the Detroit Lions, where he entered the season as a starting linebacker. He started the first 14 games of 2021 before a shoulder injury in Week 15 placed him on injured reserve. He finished that year with one sack, 78 total tackles, one interception, and seven passes defended. In March 2022, he re-signed with the Lions, then started all 17 games in 2022, producing 1.5 sacks, 125 total tackles, one interception, six passes defended, and one fumble recovery.
On March 13, 2023, Anzalone signed a three-year, $18.75 million contract extension with Detroit, cementing his role as a defensive leader. In 2023, he started all 16 games he played and recorded three sacks, 129 total tackles, six passes defended, and one fumble recovery. His strong play earned him recognition as a 2024 NFL Pro Bowl alternate. The 2024 season was disrupted when he suffered a broken left forearm in a Week 11 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars; he was placed on injured reserve on November 18 but was activated for the regular-season finale on January 4, 2025.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Era (2026–Present)
On March 12, 2026, Anzalone signed a two-year, $17 million contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, beginning a new chapter in his career. The move marked his third NFL team and reunited him with an NFC South rival of his original club, the New Orleans Saints. Wearing jersey number 34, he joined the Buccaneers as a veteran presence expected to contribute on defense and in the locker room.
Notable Events and Milestones
Through the 2025 season, Anzalone had recorded 613 total tackles, 13 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 4 interceptions, and 36 pass deflections in his NFL career. He reached 100 tackles in a season three times with the Lions, topped 125 tackles twice, and earned Pro Bowl alternate honors in 2023. Surviving multiple significant injuries and continuing to start at a high level has become the defining feature of his professional arc.
Alex Anzalone Career Wins
Although linebackers are not judged primarily by win totals, Anzalone has been part of several competitive defenses across his career, including Saints, Lions, and Buccaneers teams that have posted winning seasons and chased playoff berths. His individual milestones, such as multi-sack games, interception totals, and 100-tackle seasons, form the backbone of his career resume.
Detroit Lions Highlights
During his time in Detroit, Anzalone became one of the most productive linebackers on the roster, recording single-season tackle totals of 78, 125, and 129 from 2021 through 2023. He added three sacks and a fumble recovery in 2023 alone, and his consistent availability helped anchor the middle of the defense during the Lions’ resurgence as a playoff contender.
Other Performances
With the Saints, Anzalone’s most complete season came in 2018, when he registered two sacks, three forced fumbles, an interception, and 59 total tackles across a full 16-game schedule. He also produced a one-sack, 41-tackle campaign in 2020 before moving on in free agency the following spring.
Alex Anzalone Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Anzalone is of Italian descent and was raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, alongside family members who supported his early athletic development. His Italian-American heritage and Pennsylvania upbringing are often cited as foundational pieces of his identity. Faith has also played a consistent role in his life, and he is a Christian.
Spouse
Alex Anzalone is married to Lindsey Anzalone, who is also a Christian. The couple has been together through the major transitions of his career, including his moves from New Orleans to Detroit and, most recently, to Tampa Bay.
2025 Season Performance
Anzalone entered the 2025 season continuing his role as a veteran starting linebacker for the Detroit Lions. After returning from the broken left forearm that ended the bulk of his 2024 campaign, he was reactivated for the regular-season finale and aimed to pick up where he had left off as one of Detroit’s most reliable tacklers.
Prior to his 2024 injury, he had tallied 56 stops, including seven tackles for loss and four pass deflections, illustrating the kind of all-around production the Lions expected to see again in 2025. The Detroit defense leaned on his leadership, pre-snap communication, and tackling consistency as the team pushed for another playoff run in the NFC.
Looking ahead, Anzalone remained under contract with the Lions through the 2025 season on the three-year, $18.75 million extension he signed in 2023. With another full offseason of recovery behind him, he was positioned to re-establish himself as a 100-tackle linebacker and a steadying presence for a defense with genuine postseason ambitions.
