After Bucs basic supervisor Jason Licht re-signed Professional Bowl large receiver Mike Evans, Professional Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield and legendary linebacker Lavonte David, whereas additionally making a splash signing with Jets sturdy security Jordan Whitehead, Bucs followers may be asking, “What’s subsequent?” for Tampa Bay in free company.
Properly, Licht has a plan in thoughts.
Licht made an look on the NFL Community’s present, The NFL Report, to have a dialog with hosts Steve Wyche and James Palmer. Whereas a lot of the dialogue was round Evans nonetheless being in his prime, Licht additionally spoke about potential contract extensions for security Antoine Winfield and left sort out Tristan Wirfs.
Winfield was franchise tagged earlier than the deadline to make sure that he can be a Buccaneer this season. The All-Professional security is ready to earn $17.123 million in 2024 as a result of tag, however the plan was at all times to simply preserve him within the constructing after which get a long-term extension performed by the summer time.
Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. – Picture by: USA At the moment
Wirfs is coming into the fifth yr of his rookie contract, and in that point he has established himself as arguably one of the best offensive sort out in soccer. There’s no method that the Bucs are letting Wirfs stroll out the door given what he means to the group. He’s set to earn over $18 million in his fifth-year possibility, however Tampa Bay needs to get a long-term extension performed by the beginning of the 2024 season.
So, subsequent up for Tampa Bay may not essentially be including a brand new piece to the roster, quite solidifying that two core members of the roster are mainstays for the longer term.
“I believe they’re (each) on their solution to presumably having a historic profession,” Licht stated. “They’ve already had nice careers, however historic careers and hopefully the complete time right here in Tampa. That’s a really excessive precedence for us proper now, primary, Antoine after which in no explicit order, then Tristan as properly to get them locked up long-term.”
Watch the complete episode and interview with Licht on the NFL Report.
Can The Bucs’ Entrance Workplace Do It Once more?
Although $17.123 million is a pleasant payout for Antoine Winfield Jr., that’s just for one season, and his stellar play has earned him the precise to be the highest-paid security within the league. At present, Chargers security Derwin James earns a median of $19 million per season, and it might be no shock if Winfield resets the market at $20 million. In a wild flip of occasions, Winfield didn’t make the Professional Bowl in 2023, however did earn first-team All-Professional, which is a better accolade to attain.
Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR
Tristan Wirfs doesn’t appear to be he’s in a rush in the meanwhile to get an extension performed. He has a lot greater issues to maintain in the meanwhile, as he and his girlfriend predict their first youngster in late March.
When requested on the finish of the season about his contract heading into his fifth yr, Wirfs didn’t actually know a lot about it and sounded tremendous doing no matter was greatest for the Bucs.
“I’m nonetheless studying how that works,” Wirfs stated. “So that they picked up my fifth yr, so I’m nonetheless underneath contract, proper? I’m tremendous with no matter occurs. I like being right here. I’m not too anxious about it. [Iowa] Coach [Kirk] Ferentz at all times stated, ‘Your movie is your resumé, so I simply strive my greatest to play good soccer.”
Signing Wirfs to an extension might truly assist the Bucs reduce the load on their wage cap for this season because the price range has slimmed down a bit after their different free company strikes. The Bucs might signal Wirfs to an extension to decrease his projected $18.244 million cap hit in 2024.
Josh Queipo, Pewter Report’s resident wage cap knowledgeable, initiatives Wirfs will reset the sort out market with a five-year, $135 million deal. That’s $27 million per yr, which is greater than Houston’s Laremy Tunsil makes at $25 million per yr.
It’s puzzling at instances why the Bucs entrance workplace doesn’t get extra recognition for what it has been in a position to accomplish over the past 4 seasons through which the group has made the playoffs, whether or not it’s discovering high-profile free brokers or preserving the Bucs’ personal free brokers. Yr after yr Jason Licht and Co. ship. An extension for Winfield and Wirfs can be two extra unimaginable strikes in an already improbable offseason in Tampa Bay.
