Bucs Agree To Extension With Tristan Wirfs

In a much-anticipated move, the Buccaneers and star left tackle Tristan Wirfs have agreed to terms on a contract extension that will keep him with the team through 2029. ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the news early Thursday morning.

Buccaneers LT Tristan Wirfs – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR

Both Protracted Negotiations The two teams finally came to an agreement on the extension after the offseason began, signing a five-year, $140.63 million contract that included $88.24 million in guaranteed money, making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history. The contract is also the largest in Buccaneers history.

Wirfs is arguably the best player on the team’s roster right now, and was an instant star from the moment Tampa Bay selected him in the first round of the 2020 draft. Since then, Wirfs has quickly established himself as one of the three best right tackles in football, winning a Super Bowl, being selected to the Pro Bowl, being named All-Pro, making a difficult transition to left tackle, then being selected to the Pro Bowl again at his new position.

Wirfs has been especially good in pass protection, posting a pass-blocking efficiency rate of over 98% every year since he entered the league, including an impressive 99.3% in 2022 despite allowing just six pressures all season.

Bucs write huge check to Pro Bowl left tackle, cornerstone player

Tristan Wirfs’ new contract puts him just ahead of the Detroit Lions’ Penei Sewell, who was the highest-paid tackle to date at $28 million per year after signing his own record deal just three months ago.

Buccaneers LT Tristan Wirfs – Photo courtesy of USA Today

With Wirfs’ long-term deal, the Buccaneers will have four pillars on the offensive line that will be available for multiple seasons, joining right tackle Luke Goedeke and right guard Cody Mauck, who are under contract through at least 2025, and 2024 first-round draft pick Graham Burton, who is in the first year of a four-year contract with a fifth-year option.

The signing of a well-deserved extension with Wirfs also caps off a busy offseason for Jason Licht, Mike Greenberg, Jackie Davidson and the Buccaneers, who agreed to new contracts with a host of players, including quarterback Baker Mayfield, wide receiver Mike Evans, linebacker Lavonte David, kicker Chase McLaughlin, All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and now Wirfs.

Richt famously said at the NFL Combine that if they could sign all of those players this offseason, it would be worth having another boat parade like the one the team had when they won Super Bowl 55 in February 2021.

“We’re focused on recruiting right now,” Richt said. “If we can re-sign Mike, Baker, Lavonte, Chase, Antoine and Tristan, we should have another boat parade. They’re some pretty good players.”

Now, thanks to some big news for the Wirfs on Thursday morning, it may be time to put those boat parade plans into action.

The deal is also significant for Tampa Bay because it underscores just how good their first two picks in the 2020 draft were. First, Winfield, the team’s second-round pick in 2020, became the NFL’s highest-paid defensive back. Then, on Thursday, Wirfs, the Buccaneers’ first-round pick in 2020, became the league’s highest-paid offensive lineman. The two are a great duo and will be franchise cornerstones around which the team will continue to build for the foreseeable future. Winfield will turn 26 this month, and Wirfs just turned 25 in January.

Both Winfield and Wirfs are on track to become members of the Buccaneers’ Ring of Honor, and Tampa Bay fans can expect to continue to see both players lead the way on their respective defenses.

—Bailey Adams of the Pewter Report contributed to this article.