Offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs became the latest Tampa Bay Buccaneers player to get paid in an offseason that has seen them hand out significant money. Wirfs’ five-year deal worth $140.63 million follows QB Baker Mayfield (three years, $100 million), Antoine Winfield Jr. (four years, $84.1 million), and Mike Evans (two years, $41 million) in being a big-name Buccaneers’ player to receive a new deal.
Wirfs is now under contract for the next six years, and the Buccaneers look to remain competitive after a surprisingly good season in 2023. Many people felt Tampa Bay would take a step back last year with the departure of Tom Brady and the arrival of Mayfield to run the offense. Nevertheless, the Buccaneers won the NFC South and then beat the Philadelphia Eagles on Wild Card Weekend.
Once again, there is an air of uncertainty surrounding Tampa Bay in 2024. The departure of offensive coordinator Dave Canales to the Carolina Panthers, combined with the arrival of Kirk Cousins in Atlanta, could see the Buccaneers taking a slight step back, while the Falcons take a step forward.
Canales was hailed last year as somewhat of a QB whisperer after changing the career direction of both Geno Smith and Mayfield in consecutive seasons. The Buccaneers have somewhat gambled that Canales’ departure won’t lead Mayfield to take a major step back and can once again fuel a run to the NFC South crown and, hopefully, a deep playoff run.
Mayfield’s contract is structured so that if that hope turns out to be dashed, the Buccaneers aren’t buried under commitments for years to come. However, Evans, Winfield, and Wirfs’ contracts are somewhat different, as they have more long-term obligations.
The big difference with Wirfs’ deal is that paying a good offensive tackle is rarely a mistake, as they can be a bedrock of your team for years to come, even if you have to rebuild for a couple of seasons.
Tristan Wirfs’ Extension Doesn’t Carry Much Risk for Tampa Bay
Wirfs’ deal makes him the highest-paid OT in the NFL in terms of average annual value, topping Penei Sewell’s $112 million deal across four years. Wirfs played right tackle for his first three seasons, before shifting to left tackle in 2023.
Video: Todd Bowles talks about Bucs being able to lock up their best players, including Tristan Wirfs today. “Guys that play great get rewarded greatly.” pic.twitter.com/k7TcvUHl9Q
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 1, 2024
Wirfs had a mixed first season at LT. Per TruMedia, among players to take 750+ snaps at the position, he was first in hurries and second in pressures but ninth and 11th in sacks and hits, respectively.
The hurries and pressures numbers stand out, but in terms of hits and sacks, he was closer to the middle of the pack than the elite level.
Last year was Wirfs’ worst season across all of those categories, but it’s not a major surprise that his first year at a more demanding position would have some growing pains.
Even so, left tackle is a position where you pay a player handsomely for being even an above-average talent, especially when you have just paid a QB big money on a multi-year deal.
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Wirfs is a better player than just above-average, having been an All-Pro at right tackle in 2021 and 2022.
Even if the Mayfield deal doesn’t pay off, the Buccaneers are unlikely to regret locking up a tackle who has consistently been one of the best in the league since being drafted. If the Buccaneers end up drafting a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, having a rock-solid LT under contract for the entirety of his rookie deal will be a tremendous building block to work around.
Wirfs’ Deal Could Open Salary Cap Space for the Buccaneers
As of the start of August, the Buccaneers had around $7.6 million in cap space in terms of their top 51 contracts. That ranked 27th in the league and was partly that low due to Wirfs’ counting for $18.6 million against the cap.
In all likelihood, this deal will lower that 2024 cap number and give Tampa Bay opportunities to make more moves, including trading for players either ahead of or during the season.
If the Buccaneers find themselves challenging early in the season and a big-name player becomes available at a premium position, that is a nice situation for them. It will be intriguing to see whether Tampa Bay continues to make moves following the Wirfs deal, potentially opening up a lot of cap space for them.