By Jordan Long
Linebacker Kikko Alonso made a surprising announcement, retiring from the NFL. This was after one practice with the New Orleans Saints who just agreed to a contract with him.
Kikko Alonso was originally drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second- round of the 2013 NFL Draft after spending his college career with the University of Oregon Ducks. In his time with the Ducks, from 2009 to 2012, he totaled 3.5 sacks and 144 tackles. Alonso proved to be a key tackler stopping a runner or a wide receiver from gaining yards. He also had 21 tackles for a loss. Alonso played in pass coverage with 6 interceptions. When he was still on the board, the Bills saw him as a can’t miss pick and selected him.
In his rookie year, 2013, Alonso showed what he could do at the NFL level. He had 4 interceptions, 4 passes defended, 2 sacks, and 159 tackles. The Bills were expecting him to take a huge step forward in 2014. Unfortunately, Alonso missed the whole year because he tore his ACL. This occurred when he was working out away from the team before the start of training camp in Oregon.
Alonso would come back and play in the NFL the next year, but it wasn’t for Buffalo. Buffalo traded him on March 10, 2015, to the Philadelphia Eagles for running back LeSean McCoy. The Eagles coach at the time was Chip Kelly who Alonso played under when Kelly was the Head Coach of the University of Oregon. Philadelphia was expecting him to play well on the defensive side of the ball.
Alonso only lasted one season in Philadelphia. In week 2 in a 20-10 loss to Dallas, Alonso suffered a knee injury during the 2nd quarter. Philadelphia was optimistic it wasn’t a season ending for him. It turned out to be a knee sprain. Alonso ended up appearing in 11 games for the Eagles. He had a career low of 43 tackles. Philadelphia dealt him to Miami on March 7th, 2016.
Alonso spent 3 years with the Dolphins. In those seasons, Alonso picked the ball off 5 times. He also had 355 tackles and 1 sack. Alonso was again traded, this time to the New Orleans Saints on September 1st, 2019. That year, Alonso had 31 tackles. New Orleans earned a playoff spot but lost in the Wild Card round to the Minnesota Vikings, 26-20 in overtime. In that loss, Alonso tore his ACL and it was the last time he played an NFL game.
In 2020, Alonso was placed on the PUP list (Physically Unable to Perform) since he was still trying to get back to form after his torn ACL. The Saints though decided to trade him the San Francisco on November 2nd, 2020. Even so, Alonso was eligible to play if he could pass his physical with the 49ers. Unfortunately, he failed to pass the physical. The 49ers released Alonso on November 25, 2020.
Alonso felt he could still play in the NFL, agreeing to a contract with the Saints on August 4th. The comeback lasted one practice. Alonso decided it was time to walk away from the game of football.
Alonso might be one of the top “what if” stories in NFL history. He was a decent cover linebacker when healthy totaling 10 interceptions and tipping away 17 passes. Alonso could tackle a runner in the open field and sack the quarterback. He had 3 sacks and 588 tackles. If the guy could have been healthier, those stats would have been even better.
Alonso knows he can’t play the NFL game at a high level anymore. At least he was able to live out his dream of playing in the NFL, even though it only lasted 86 regular season and 2 postseason games.
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