Kwon Is Gone

March 11th, 2019

Someone check on John Lynch.

UPDATED 2:20 p.m. – Perhaps Kwon Alexander needs to lay off Twitter?

Moments after NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo claimed now former Bucs middle linebacker Kwon Alexander was texting Bucs teammates goodbye, Kwon scolded people on Twitter claiming it was BS.

Well now. The NFL — which would have access to such information — has announced that Alexander and former Bucs great and current 49ers general manager John Lynch have agreed in principle to a five-year, $54 million contract.

Is Lynch starting to show signs of CTE? That’s crazy money for a linebacker who was the leader of the worst defense in NFL history, until he got hurt. The same player who just had major knee surgery in November.

Look, Alexander may be the perfect teammate. His intangibles are through the roof. But the NFL is all about production, not acting out the part of a cartoon character.

Joe wishes Alexander the best of luck. It would be cool to see the 49ers succeed being run by Lynch. And it will be cool to see Alexander facing the Bucs at the Den of Depression this season, assuming he’s healthy enough to play.

Joe has a hunch the cost of living in San Francisco is going to eat up a bigger chunk of Alexander’s contract then the cost of living in Hillsborough County.

UPDATE: Adam Schefter of ESPN says Kwon will get $27 million guaranteed.

98 Responses to “Kwon Is Gone”

  1. Bucsfan3 Says:

    I’m sick to my stomach over this loss. It’s a sad day for Tampa Bay.

  2. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    They’ll make him a S.

    Good luck Kwon…..good guy…..get all the money you can…..glad it turned out well for you.

  3. FlBoy84 Says:

    Those taxes are going to surprise him.Will happily take the 3rd rnd comp pick at that price.

  4. Javier SP Says:

    Kwon’s last gift for us is pricing the elite LB market (Mosley) out of our reach.

  5. Stu Says:

    Well, bye…

  6. Miketb19 Says:

    I can’t believe he got 13.5 million coming off an ACL tear that is insane but I’m cool with this actually it opens the door to taking Devin White at 5 who I believe will be a better player than Kwon overall he better in run defense and way better in coverage so if your going to give a middle linebacker whose never made a pro bowl other than as an alt one year and never been an all pro and pay him like he’s Kuechly or Wagner good luck with that

  7. bucsfaninchina Says:

    lol What a joke. Wouldn’t have paid half that price.

    As they say, it is morally irresponsible to let a fool keep his money.

    Well-played, Kwon! Enjoy that payday!

  8. DBS Says:

    one to many helmet to helmet hits.

  9. mizzle Says:

    don’t disagree with anyone that he is getting overpaid but also believe he has untapped potential bc a) mike smith was a terrible DC and B) he was injured. if he stays healthy and gets coached up this contract may not seem so bad after all

  10. Kyle Says:

    love kwon, thats alot of money for a middle linebacker coming off an acl. Good for him, hate to see him go. Looking like white from LSU would be a great replacement.

  11. Greg Says:

    I know Joe is trying to be funny but I dont think the CTE comment is appropriate. Kwon would not and should not have been resigned to anything close to that here so good for him. We need bigger linebackers for our system and we need to dump anyone not part of our future asap!

  12. Bucsfanman Says:

    Tbbf- Making him a Safety isn’t the worst idea I’ve heard. He needs to work on his tackling though!
    Hey, I’m happy for him. Get your money young man!

  13. Anonymous Says:

    Good luck! and good bye! Let’s go! Time to move a DJax for.a CJ !!!

  14. JimmyJack Says:

    I doubt Kwon will even be ready for Game 1. Don’t it take a full year to come back from torn knee? Think this was a big reason why we couldn’t keep Kwon. 49ers are signing him more for 2020 then for 2019 is my guess.

    Hope they get him at full health eventually. Heard today he still in rehab for 4 months.

  15. Joeypoppems Says:

    Good for him for getting the big payday.

    Now we will have a comp pick + Devin White. No way the Bucs are signing a LB in this market

  16. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    I believe the comp pick is based on the salary he had as a Buc…..not his new salary….could be wrong but I think no comp for Kwon.
    Comp pick guidelines are very complicated and not easy to dis cipher.

  17. AKickInTheBucNuts Says:

    Yeah, if it weren’t for that “production” thing, he would have been a good player.

    See ya.

  18. TOM Says:

    Our gain, 49’s loss. Surprised at you J. lynch.

  19. miken Says:

    @tbfan comp pick is based on what he signed for

  20. Polkfan Says:

    Tampa Bay rushing yards allowed per game in 2018:

    43
    91
    78
    139
    70
    119

    138
    179
    116
    163
    148
    168
    100
    242
    80
    109

    I’ll pay somebody 20$ to give me a reason why the increase in run yards happened.

  21. Clw JB Says:

    we may actually get a couple of high comp picks next season, cant remember the last time that happened

    Love Kwons heart, dont really love his game – misses too many tackles, bites on play action every time and his coverage skills are mediocre

    best of luck to him and his 13.5 mil a year deal – no way we could or would want to touch that number for him…

    LB depth is a major issue -we have 1 NFL starter on the roster now…. are we going to play a base defense in Dime?

  22. Couch Fan Says:

    Good luck Kwon but we need to try to get better in the middle. He is highly over rated along with others on our D. 13 mil a year is crazy money for him. We’ll see how he does.

  23. AlteredEgo Says:

    SF is a great city to be a young stud with a fat wallet….So…back to the Bucs a formerly position of strength , Alexander, Beckwith,David…..is now an area of need….NFC south OC’s are licking their chops !

  24. Waterboy Says:

    Good luck Kwon, can’t blame him for taking that contract!!

  25. StoutGospel Says:

    Yeah…unfortunately I agree with @Greg. Attempting to be funny or not, the CTE comment wasn’t near appropriate.

    Kwon was grossly overpaid, won’t be at full speed for Week 1.

    Go Bucs! Land Quinnen!

  26. Waterboy Says:

    On to Mosely!!!

  27. Loyaltotheend Says:

    Lynch chose Kwon over Mosley?

    CTE is NO joke

  28. Kobe Faker Says:

    “Gump does his best work by doing nothing…LOL!

    3rd comp?…

    HOF Devin White is coming to town and become a LEGEND”

    Kobe Faker

  29. Money $hot Says:

    I’m sure John Lynch has a pretty good idea of what a good middle linebacker is. Considering he played with one of the greatest to ever play the position. Be keeping a close eye on this one.

  30. Jameis Almighty! Says:

    Good. He was always seeming to be hurt. Get a healthy LB to fit the new scheme.

  31. BucEmUp Says:

    Thats just stupid money.

  32. Jean Lafitte Says:

    Goodbye Kwon, and good luck in your future.

  33. Jonathan Lipnicki Says:

    I sure hope Lynch let’s his lovely wife negotiate the price of thier houses & cars. 🙂 That’s sticker price plus right there!

  34. StoutGospel Says:

    Yeah @miken is right…comp pick is based on what the player signs for with his new team.

    Go Bucs! Land Quinnen!

  35. Bird Says:

    Wow. That’s a lot. Good for him.

    That number is ridiculous.

  36. BucsFIRE Says:

    StoutGospel Says:
    “Attempting to be funny or not, the CTE comment wasn’t near appropriate.”

    ——–

    Wow, NO DOUBT, man… and it has been made by a few people. That is not funny OR appropriate for ANY NFL player, let alone one of the most beloved ever to wear a Buccaneer uniform.

  37. JokerKid Says:

    Joe, the contract is for 4 years, not 5. Big difference in average annual salary.

  38. gman Says:

    Like McCoy and David….we suck with you…we can suck without you

  39. TrollSlayer Says:

    with the 5th selection in the 2019 NFL draft the tampa bay buccaneers select Linebacker Devin White of LSU

  40. Easy Says:

    Lotta cash for an alternate pro bowler coming off a torn ACL. Happy for him but glad our team didn’t pay him that.

  41. The Real Drew Says:

    Is it me, or is the news coming in slowly? And, that’s way too much Kwon. But now he can start spelling his name Quan.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83hIB3zsxd4

  42. BucsFIRE Says:

    TrollSlayer Says:
    “with the 5th selection in the 2019 NFL draft the tampa bay buccaneers select Linebacker Devin White of LSU”

    ———-

    You just might be right, man.

  43. JA Says:

    Losing Kwon and D-Jax and while adding to the cash reserves for use elsewhere. I can live with that.
    Loved Kwon but became tired of watching him get faked out by turtles.
    As for D-Jax, he will be moving on to his fourth team. I think that says something about his character. He’s not a washed up veteran. He just can’t seem to grab the concept of playing for a team. In his world there is only D-Jax.

  44. Lolbuc Says:

    Polkfan:

    First three games were high scoring shoot outs, hence no need for teams to rush the ball heavily. That’s why there is an increase in rush yards allowed.

  45. Wausa Says:

    It’s a lot of money so I do not blame him one bit for taking it.
    The tax consequence of playing in California is enormous.

    According to Business Insider Seth Curry(super star player for the Warriors) taxes and cost of having an agent is the following:

    -$11,655,683 in Federal Income Tax
    -$4,105,453 in State and City Income Tax
    -$954,597 to his agent
    TOTAL AMOUNT PAID IN TAXES AND TO HIS AGENT IS $16,715,733 annually.

  46. Jmarkbuc Says:

    Like Djax here in Tampa, Kwon won’t complete that contract.

    Lynch is renting for a signing bonus and 9 mil more or less a yr for 2 yrs.

    And the CTE crack was CLASSLESS.

  47. ncbucsfan Says:

    Licht needs to be fired if he even thinks about drafting Devin White @#5!!!! That is probably the one thing he could do that would make me throw the towel in for the 2019 season!

  48. Solinor Says:

    CRAP! Who are we going to get to flex their muscles and act all macho every time they make a tackle? Even when we’re down 30-0. Or Call Warren Sapp a “mf”.

  49. Jmarkbuc Says:

    Wausa

    Those “annual” numbers are based on his 54 million deal?

    Or did you mean in total for the life of the contract? Your numbers would indicate Kwon is paying out 65mil on a 54mil deal

  50. Not there yet Says:

    So much for Kwon allowing licht to match an offer. This locker room is not as tight knit as they made ya believe. Just start over on defense and get rid of the big contracts. Chances are they will be an average defense anyway so why pay big money for average. Licht has no idea how to build a team, I hope BA is showing him how it’s done but not at the expense of a long term contract for a guy who has no vision

  51. Cobraboy Says:

    I feel zero remorse or regret that Mr. Look-at-Me Alexander is gone.

  52. SOEbuc Says:

    Gonna miss you in TB Kwon. Great player, teammate, and tried his hardest to lead this defense that had a pee-wee girls flag football towel boy for a DC. Good luck to ya brotha and will always be remembered in the Bucs LB history.

  53. Arian Nation Says:

    Oily Drew Rosenhaus just struck oil.

    CTE=Crimson Tinted Efro

    Dude had the reddest hair I’ve ever seen.

  54. Cobraboy Says:

    Perhaps knowing the accountability and BS-acceptance meter of Mike Smith and Todd Bowles are completely different tipped the scales toward SF.

  55. Cobraboy Says:

    Jeez, you guys need to lighten up with your outrage over a CTE joke. Sheesh…

  56. Jmarkbuc Says:

    Just out of curiosity, with no snark intended…

    Why are there so many that say BA is a great drafter and that he’s the one whose going to build the team?

    Was this his role in AZ? Seems to me the year they drafted David Johnson, he wasn’t even the running back they wanted..they settled for Johnson. Blind squirrels and all, ya know.

  57. SOEbuc Says:

    Devin White at #5 just rose about 90%

  58. BucsFIRE Says:

    Cobraboy, I am quite sure JOE was just meaning to crack a joke, but if you see what that hideous disease does to people…. it just isn’t funny.

  59. AwShbucs Says:

    Steph Curry makes 34 million per season just from the Warriors plus probably makes around 50-70 million dollars a year in endorsements and commercial money.

    No way Kwon gets taxed anywhere near that amount.

  60. SOEbuc Says:

    Jmarkbuc

    I thought I heard before he was the opposite of a good drafter. Don’t know the facts though with his prior GM and scouts.

  61. Pickgrin Says:

    Good Luck Kwon and thanks for giving your all to the Buccaneers for 4 years.

    I’m sure Kwon will do well at his new destination – but there’s No way the Bucs could match the offer he got of almost $13M for year….

    At least we should get a decent comp pick out of Kwon’s departure assuming he plays a good # of snaps this coming year.

    Sadly we shall be saying Good Bye to Hump for the same reason very soon….

  62. go for the face30 Says:

    Greg Says:
    March 11th, 2019 at 2:12 pm
    I know Joe is trying to be funny but I dont think the CTE comment is appropriate.
    _________________________________________

    Grow a pair.

  63. SOEbuc Says:

    gman

    “Like McCoy and David….we suck with you…we can suck without you.”

    Pleeeeeease don’t try to compare GMC’s play to Lavonte’s. Devin White and LVD on the inside will be extreme nastiness.

  64. DBS Says:

    Pull your skirts down ladies. Start getting this upset when people on here call each other RETARDED all the time.

  65. Tony LA Says:

    Love Tampa.
    Grew up there. Family still there.
    I HAPPILY pay the taxes to live in California.
    No offense at all.

    Staring out my window to see snow-capped mountains to my right and the ocean to my left. It ain’t so bad at all.

  66. SOEbuc Says:

    gman

    “Like McCoy and David….we suck with you…we can suck without you”

    LVD sh!ts on GMC performance. LVD and White will equal extreme nastiness in the middle.

  67. Rod Munch Says:

    Kwon was literally the best FA LB available, he’s young, fast and already a pro-bowler. This fake news agenda of late that he wasn’t any good is just that. Do we say JPP is garbage because Ryan Smith was starting? Do we say David is garbage because Chris Conte gets ran over on MNF?

    Anywho the contract was more expensive than the Bucs can pay at the moment, so you can only do what you can do. But Kwon will go on to be a year in and year out pro-bowler and will probably make it to all-pro status at least once. If you don’t think that is the case, you don’t know football.

  68. Kord Says:

    Had a feeling he would get a great payday, good luck to him, except on a miner Buc game of course

  69. BucsFIRE Says:

    DBS Says:
    “people on here call each other RETARDED all the time.”

    ———-

    Not me… I wouldn’t say that to someone either because I HATE it.
    That’s just how I feel about it…. and some of the most beautiful people in the world that deal with these disabilities on a daily basis.

  70. Jmarkbuc Says:

    “‘he’s young, fast and already a pro-bowler.,”

    Just like Alternate Pro Bowler Tampa’s QB……

  71. Cobraboy Says:

    @BucsFIRE: I played the pro game with crappy Riddel suspension helmets. I know about CTE because many guys I played with suffer from it.

    But a joke is a joke. Lighten up, Francis.

  72. AllHailJPP Says:

    no freaking way..he’s worth that money

  73. Bird Says:

    Had to look at again

    Its 4 years 54 mil. That’s 13.5 per year.
    He is the highest paid inside linebacker. Are you kidding me ?

    His agent just performed the best magic trick in the nfl in a long time

  74. Rod Munch Says:

    Jmarkbuc – Winston was the #4 QB last year in QBR and just lead the NFL’s top passing offense… If you don’t think Winston is any good then you’re just another, what was the word I just read above that fit you perfectly, oh right, retard.

    LOL!

  75. SOEbuc Says:

    Love you John, but he is a AWFUL GM.

  76. DB55 Says:

    Teflon Keon slipped out of licht s grasp. Fitting. Peace out my dude you’re not a mlb more like a safety as I said the day he got drafted but wtfdik

  77. Rod Munch Says:

    Uh if you know free agency you know that you have to overpay for talent. Even with as much as I like Kwon I’m not paying him more than I’m paying David as David is in a different class, and if he didn’t play for the awful Bucs he’d be a year in and year out ALL-PRO, not just a measly pro-bowler.

    Anywho, again, the idea that Kwon isn’t that good is just fake news. He’s been the best young MLB in football for years now and he’s still just 24.

    I don’t blame the Bucs, you can’t pay everyone and that salary is paid in a way to make sure no one can match it. But does Kwon go to the 49ers and become a younger Hardy Nickerson? The answer is, yes, he does.

  78. DBS Says:

    There you go BucsFIRE JUMP. Your so worried.

  79. BucsFIRE Says:

    Cobraboy Says:
    “@BucsFIRE: I played the pro game with crappy Riddel suspension helmets. I know about CTE because many guys I played with suffer from it.

    But a joke is a joke. Lighten up, Francis.”

    ———-

    Fair enough man, I hear ya.

  80. BucsFIRE Says:

    DBS, worried?
    No, not worried about anything LOL.
    But thanks for your concern. All good.

  81. DBS Says:

    I didn’t think so and neither is anyone else.

  82. Defense Rules Says:

    @Kyle … “love kwon, thats alot of money for a middle linebacker coming off an acl”. It’s somewhat humorous that everyone in Bucsville is ASSUMING that John Lynch signed Kwon to be their middle linebacker. I don’t think so. 49ers have a rookie MLB named Fred Warner (3rd Rnd pick … 6’3″ & 236 lbs) who started all 16 games last year & had 124 tackles. The rest of their LBs were meh. Kwon was playing out of position here. My bet is that Lynch saw the value Kwon could have playing LVD’s position … and that’s where he’ll be used in SF.

  83. Rod Munch Says:

    Defense Rules – That’s pretty risky to move Kwon, if you make him one of the top paid LB’s in football you generally move whoever was there to make room for the new guy. We shall see but Kwon obviously has the speed and coverage ability to be an OLB, or even an edge rusher. But, again, you have to overpay in FA, it’s why teams lock up guys early if they can. Still he got more money than I thought he would, which is great for the Bucs since it means they might get a comp pick out of this depending on what they do in FA.

  84. Alstott up the gut Says:

    I loved Kwon’s heart and the fire he brought to the field. Having said that, this is way too much money. BA said he loves speed…. offensive speed runs away from Kwon. Good luck John Lynch!

  85. stpetebucsfan Says:

    SOEBuc

    Agree with your observation that White now becomes a prime target for the Bucs. And I got no problem spending a #5 on him. But if a QB or two jumps up that could move White down a few notches.

    Then Licht’s draft becomes real interesting. Does he want one of the “Big 3” if one should drop to 5? Does he gamble with the #5 if he thinks White will last past that spot.

    This draft is shaping up as pretty exciting for the Bucs.

  86. ElioT Says:

    That’s stupid money especially for a dude coming off major knee injury who was already inconsistent.

    I mean I’d rather give $13mil to Kwon as opposed to Gerald, but niether would be preferred.

    Now Kwon really has reason to dance on the sidelines while losing games.

  87. Barack's Crack Pipe Says:

    Cobraboy Says:
    “Jeez, you guys need to lighten up with your outrage over a CTE joke. Sheesh…”

    ^^^^^THIS^^^^^

    It’s not really their fault. This is the politically correct generation. They’ve been conditioned in government schools to be permanently butthurt.

    The Riddel suspension helmet. Was that the one with the blue spider web air bladder under the shell you pumped up by hand?

  88. tmaxcon Says:

    john lynch another overrated underachieving has been failing at a big boy job in the nfl… bucs are a joke including those losers you call legends… john lynch is matt millen….

  89. Wausa Says:

    Jmarkbuc Says:
    March 11th, 2019 at 2:40 pm
    Wausa
    Those “annual” numbers are based on his 54 million deal?
    Or did you mean in total for the life of the contract? Your numbers would indicate Kwon is paying out 65mil on a 54mil deal

    _________________________

    This is annual taxes for Curry making $35MM per year.

  90. debucsfan Says:

    It is a bummer he’s gone, but I’m really pumped he got his $$$ and then some. Happy for him and his family. I’ll take either ‘Devin’ LB.

  91. ERIC Says:

    Losing Hump, Kwon, etc… wil net us great comp pics next season. We are basically trading them fir 3-4th rounders next year and salary cap relief this year. I hope Hump gets paid BIG! Any other unrestricted FA that sign elsewhere will help too as long as we don’t replace them with other high priced FA aquisitions.

  92. Buc believer Says:

    Sub par player with a torn ACL…. good luck with that John Lynch.

  93. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    And you people said he wouldn’t get $10+ per year.

  94. Trey83 Says:

    CTE joke was in poor taste.

    Congrats to Kwon.

  95. Cobraboy Says:

    @Barack’s Crack Pipe: Those Riddel suspension helmets were even worse.

    They had fabric straps from the leather liner riveted to the helmet around your head that were tied with a small circular rope at the top not quite reaching the helmet shell. Unless, of course, that small rope broke. Which it could.

    Then you pushed this flat rubber thing we called a donut into the small rope circle for the top of your head; I guess they thought the donut offed some protection. The helmets had leather cheek pads that snapped in.

    The air helmets came later and were high tech. There were also water helmets later some linemen wore, with water in plastic bags around the inside of the helmet.

    There was an expression for when you got your bell rung in a Riddell suspension helmet, “a head full of bees.” That’s what it felt and sounded like.

  96. Brad Says:

    we were able to move on from Nate Webster as well….

  97. Joe Says:

    we were able to move on from Nate Webster as well….

    Well done!

  98. BucsFIRE Says:

    Barack’s Crack Pipe Says:
    “It’s not really their fault. This is the politically correct generation. They’ve been conditioned in government schools to be permanently butthurt.”

    —-

    Barack, the last thing I have EVER been is politically correct, and I am a life-long conservative. I simply expressed MY opinion on one sentiment that strikes close to home. Nothing more, nothing less.