Former Buffalo Bills linebacker Kiko Alonso to sign with the Saints
A former player with the Buffalo Bills is making a return to the NFL after it was reported linebacker Kiko Alonso was signing with the New Orleans Saints. Alonso was a second round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2013 but hasn’t played a regular season game since 2019.
The Legend of Kiko Alonso was born his rookie season after he would start every game and finish as runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year. That season he would finish with 159 total tackles, two sacks, and four interceptions.
Alonso looked to be on his way to an excellent career but would never play another game for the Buffalo Bills. During the offseason after his rookie season, he would suffer a torn ACL that forced him to miss the entire 2014 season.
Then in 2015, Alonso would be traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in a rare player swap that brought running back LeSean McCoy to Buffalo. He would play only one season with the Eagles before being traded to the Miami Dolphins.
Alonso would be a starter for the Dolphins for the next three seasons and have his most productive stretch, outside of his first year with Buffalo. He would have over 115 total tackles each season and record a total of five interceptions during that time.
He was then traded in back-to-back years after Miami traded him to the New Orleans Saints in 2019 and then during the 2020 season, the Saints would trade him to the San Francisco 49ers. However, he was never activated off the PUP list and missed the entire season.
Amazingly, Alonso signing as a free agent with the New Orleans Saints this week is the first time in his career that he signed with a team as a free agent after being traded four times. At this point in his career, he is probably a backup linebacker but could be a good addition to the Saints with his experience in their defense from the last time he was in New Orleans.
