Third team's the charm: Kiko Alonso signs contract extension with Dolphins
It’s almost easy to forget that Kiko Alonso is as young as he is. The 26-year old linebacker has played just three seasons but has been involved in three trades: in the 2013 draft, the Rams and Bills swapped first-round picks so the Rams could move up to get Tavon Austin; in the transaction, Buffalo got the 46th overall pick, which it used to draft Alonso.
Then in 2015, after a solid rookie year but sophomore year lost completely to a torn ACL, the Bills and Philadelphia Eagles had a player-for-player trade that sent Alonso to Philly and LeSean McCoy to Buffalo. And last year, Alonso was part of another trade, this time sent to Miami with defensive back Byron Maxwell in a deal that also included first-round draft picks.
But it looks like Alonso has finally found a home.
The Dolphins announced on Tuesday that they have signed Alonso to a contract extension through 2020; as first reported by Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post, the deal is for just under $29 million, with $18.5 million guaranteed.
It’s four years total: Alonso will play this season on the $3.9 million restricted free agent tender Miami offered him, then agreed to a three-year extension for the 2018-20 seasons that totals $25 million.
Alonso started and played 15 regular-season games last year, totaling 109 tackles, two interceptions (one he returned for a score), a forced fumble and four fumble recoveries.
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As he told reporters during the season, living in the strong Hispanic community in South Florida has helped Alonso embrace and celebrate his own roots: his family is Cuban, Colombian and Puerto Rican; he now uses both English and Spanish on his Twitter feed.
