Buccaneers restructure pair of notable contracts
As has been the case for much of the 2023 offseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished minicamp near the bottom of the league in cap space. A pair of moves made this week will give them some financial breathing space, though.
Tampa Bay has restructured the contracts of left tackle Tristan Wirfs and safety Antoine Winfield Jr., as noted by Greg Auman of Fox Sports (Twitter link). The team added three void years to the former’s contract, along with four for the latter’s. The duo was scheduled to make a combined $5.8M in salary this season, but their cap hits will come down as a result of this move.
Both Wirfs and Winfield are still on their rookie contracts, making it something of a rarity that their deals have been re-worked. Both figure to be mainstays on the team for years to come, however, having started every game in which they have played during their first three years in the league. While Winfield will be eligible for free agency next March, Wirfs is already on the books for 2024 after Tampa Bay made the expected decision of picking up his fifth-year option.
Wirfs will look to transition to left tackle this season, after spending his first three years on the right side. Expectations will be high for the former Iowa Hawkeyes standout, who has earned a Pro Bowl and All-Pro nod (one first-team, one second-team) in each of the past two campaigns. Veteran Donovan Smith was one of several Buccaneers departures this offseason – he was released in a cost-cutting move. A successful year on the blindside for Wirfs would go a long way toward earning him a sizeable raise on his next contract.
Winfield, meanwhile, is again in line for a central role in the Buccaneers’ defensive plan in 2023. The 24-year-old already has a Pro Bowl invitation to his name and has emerged as a highly productive player against both the run and pass. Tampa Bay lost Keanu Neal in free agency while adding former Seahawk Ryan Neal. Veteran Logan Ryan remains unsigned. The retention of cornerback Jamel Dean will give the team continuity in the secondary, though, while allowing Winfield the opportunity to play his way into a multi-year extension.
Second contracts for both Wirfs and Winfield will present the Buccaneers with a new financial challenge, with the franchise having already navigated the 2023 offseason with more than $75M in dead cap charges to overcome. Long-term commitments to those two will no doubt be a priority down the road, but the team’s outlook for the immediate future has been improved with the short-term restructurings.
