The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have secured the future of left tackle Tristin Wirfs, and they made NFL history in the process.
According to many reports, Wirfs and the Buccaneers have agreed to a five-year extension worth $140.63 million, making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history.
According to ESPN, this is the largest deal in Bucs franchise history.
The NFL Network reported Wirfs’ renewal also contains more than $88 million in completely guaranteed funds.
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Wirfs was scheduled to play in the final year of his rookie deal, and the Bucs promptly exercised his fifth-year option when it became available.
The Buccaneers and GM Jason Licht have made their homegrown talent happy this offseason, with wide receiver Mike Evans signing a two-year, $41 million extension to stay put, and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. becoming the highest-paid at his position with a four-year, $84.1 million extension.
Furthermore, Licht and the Bucs were impressed with former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield’s performance in his debut season guiding the offense in 2023. He proved to be a quarterback worth building around, earning $100 million over the next three years to stay in Tampa Bay.
Wirfs’ $28.1 million per year agreement is somewhat higher than the $28 million per year extension given to Penei Sewell, the Detroit Lions’ left tackle. However, considering his track record, the 25-year-old deserves to be the highest-paid left tackle in the game.
The Iowa native is a Super Bowl champion, having been named first-team All-Pro that season, as well as a three-time Pro Bowler in the last three seasons. However, Wirfs’ unprecedented extension could be attributed in part to his adaptability in one of the most difficult positions on the field last season.
Wirfs, who played right tackle for the Bucs for his first three seasons, moved to left tackle last year and was rated in the top five by Pro Football Focus.
“The 2020 first-round pick has now posted an 80.0-plus grade in each of his first four seasons and has proven to be an elite pass protector, even if he’s not the dominant road grader some of his peers are,” according to Pro Football Focus. “Despite a switch from right to left tackle, he did not miss a beat in pass protection in 2023, earning a second-ranked 86.1 pass-blocking grade and allowing just 24 quarterback pressures across 777 pass-blocking snaps.”
Wirfs and the Bucs reached an arrangement to hold him out of training camp practice while they worked on a contract extension before the start of the season, and head coach Todd Bowles claimed the talks were in “good faith.”
That was evident when the cash signs matched Wirfs’ desire to be a fixture on Tampa Bay’s offensive line for years to come.
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