Report: 49ers Trade Kwon Alexander to Saints for Kiko Alonso, 5th-Round Pick

The San Francisco 49ers reportedly traded linebacker Kwon Alexander to the New Orleans Saints for linebacker Kiko Alonso and a fifth-round pick Monday.

ESPN's Adam Schefter and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported terms of the deal, a day ahead of the trade deadline.

Alexander signed a four-year, $54 million contract with the 49ers in March 2019 but has mostly been riddled with injuries. He was limited to eight games last season because of a torn pectoral and before suffering a biceps injury in the Super Bowl that led to offseason surgery. Alexander has been limited in 2020 because of a high-ankle sprain.

When he's been on the field, Alexander has not quite been able to return to Pro Bowl form. Alexander has recorded 30 tackles and one sack through five games, earning a disappointing 55.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.

The Saints will owe Alexander a $12.6 million base salary in 2021 and $12.7 million in 2022, but that money is non-guaranteed. If Alexander struggles to return to form, the Saints can move on with only a fifth-round pick as their cost of doing business.

The 49ers will take a sizable cap hit to move off Alexander, but it's likely they would have released him in the offseason. Moving on now allows them to recoup a fifth-round pick for a bad free-agent signing and add Alonso, who has been on the physically unable to perform list since September.

It's possible Alonso winds up being healthy enough to contribute in the second half of 2020.