Buccaneers LB Alex Anzalone Tells Funny Free Agency Story Involving Aidan Hutchinson

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking forward to seeing their new free agent signing, Alex Anzalone, offer some much-needed help in the linebacker room. The Buccaneers saw franchise legend Lavonte David depart the team after retiring this offseason, but even when he was playing alongside SirVocea Dennis last year, the Bucs certainly needed an upgrade.

Anzalone should offer some strong value in coverage and serve as a veteran presence that the defense needs. The decision on his end to come to the Buccaneers, however, was an easy one, as he's already very familiar with the area — Anzalone went to the University of Florida and has lived in the Tampa Bay area for quite some time now.

Anzalone made a lot of friends and connections during his previous stop with the Detroit Lions, so leaving Detroit for Tampa Bay was still a bittersweet experience. But a funny anecdote on NFL writer Jordan Schultz's podcast revealed that Anzalone's son, Cooper, isn't wasting much time getting acclimated to the new team.

Alex Anzalone's family are ready to be Buccaneers

Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone celebrates a tackle against the Baltimore Ravens | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Alex told Schultz that some former teammates of his in Detroit, linebacker Derrick Barnes and league-renowned edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, joined him to golf in Tampa recently. Alex said that his son Cooper walked up to Hutchinson and told him that he'd miss him in a sweet send-off.

Alex followed up that anecdote, however, by mentioning that the first thing Cooper said to Hutchinson when he saw him again was "Go Bucs!" Later on, Alex mentioned that Cooper had gotten over leaving the Lions almost immediately after Alex signed with the Bucs.

Former #Lions LB Alex Anzalone was playing golf with Aidan Hutchinson when his 5-year-old son Cooper delivered an emotional message to Hutch. 🥹

Later on: “Daddy, the Lions didn’t want you anymore. We’re with the Bucs now.” 😅 pic.twitter.com/6i1pVls3Qp
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 8, 2026

"Daddy, the Lions didn't want you anymore, we're with the Bucs now. We're good," Alex recalled Cooper had said.

There's clearly no love lost between Alex and his former teammates, as Alex spent some of the best years of his career playing for the Lions in Detroit. It can be hard for a free agent to move their family across the country in the NFL, but that's usually an accepted part of the business — Alex and his family have already lived in Tampa for years, though, so this transition was certainly not too bad.

It's clear to see that Cooper misses his dad's old teammates, but it's clear to see he's already bought in with the Buccaneers. As is recent tradition, the Bucs will play the Lions this season either in Detroit or in Munich, Germany, for an international game.

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