The 2023 season was Tampa Bay’s first season with Baker Mayfield as their starting QB. Heading into training camp, Mayfield had to win the job in a competition with Kyle Trask. Mayfield started all 17 games for the Bucs last season and led the team to a 9-8 record. It was the third season in a row the team won the NFC South.
This offseason, the Buccaneers extended QB Baker Mayfield to a three-year, $100 million deal. To ensure their starting QB is protected, the Bucs also locked up their best offensive lineman. Tristan Wirfs is signing a five-year, $140.6 million deal with Tampa Bay to become the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history. The Bucs had no choice but to pay Wirfs.
Tampa Bay has extended Tristan Wirfs to a five-year, $140.6 million contract
Sources: The #Bucs and All-Pro OT Tristan Wirfs have agreed to terms on a huge new contract to make him the one of highest-paid OTs. Wirfs is now locked in long-term.
He gets a 5-year, $140M deal in a deal done by Jeremy Newberry of @OctagonFootball. pic.twitter.com/s7QZaaerbA
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 1, 2024
With the 13th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected OT Tristan Wirfs out of Iowa. In his first season, Wirfs was the starting RT for the Bucs and they won the Super Bowl. During his 2021 campaign, Wirfs was named to his first Pro Bowl and earned a first-team All-Pro selection. For the first three seasons of his career, Wifs played RT. Last season, Wirfs was asked to move to LT and he made a seamless transition. The 25-year-old started all 17 games last season and both of Tampa Bay’s playoff games.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report Triatan Wirfs’ massive extension with the Bucs. It makes him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the history of the NFL. Additionally, the deal includes $88.42 million guaranteed at signing. That is the most guaranteed money for any OT in the league. Wirfs was slated to play in the final year of his rookie deal in 2024 but the team was able to work out a long-term extension. Now, there’s no doubt about the team being all-in on their Pro Bowl offensive tackle. The big man was not participating fully as contract negotiation went on. Wirfs never felt any bad blood from anyone on the team for sitting out of practice and had support from Baker Mayfield and others.
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