Jeremy Fowler reports the Buccaneers and LT Tristan Wirfs have not made progress on a new contract extension, and as a result, Wirfs is skipping OTAs.
The practices are voluntary and Wirfs is not required to be there. Fowler says his goal is to avoid injury.
Wirfs made the switch from right tackle to left tackle this past season and continued to be one of the top tackles in all of football. He’s entering the final year of his contract on the fifth-year option in 2024.
An extension for Wirfs has been one of the Buccaneers’ priorities this offseason but they’ve also been busy keeping their own players so far, including most recently a massive four-year, $84.1 million extension for S Antoine Winfield Jr. that made him the NFL’s highest-paid defensive back.
Wirfs also has a legitimate case to be the highest-paid player at his position. Texans LT Laremy Tunsil is the highest-paid left tackle at $25 million per season but the Lions just gave RT Penei Sewell a deal worth $28 million a year, and Sewell was drafted a year after Wirfs.
Wirfs, 25, was a three-year starter at Iowa and earned first-team All-American honors before the Buccaneers traded up to select him with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
He signed a four-year, $16,228,026 rookie contract that included a $9,362,201 signing bonus. The Buccaneers exercised his fifth-year option which is expected to cost $18,244,000 fully guaranteed for the 2024 season.
In 2023, Wirfs appeared in and started all 17 games for the Buccaneers at left tackle. Pro Football Focus had him graded as the No. 5 tackle out of 81 qualifying players.
We’ll have more on Wirfs as the news is available.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
