The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quietly made huge news on Friday.
While this shouldn’t exactly come as a surprise, the Buccaneers will move to exercise offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs’ fifth-year option, as reported by Scott Reynolds of Pewter Report. Because Wirfs has been to two Pro Bowls, the fifth-year option for offensive linemen is 18.244 million, according to figures calculated by Pro Football Network.
Since he was selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Buccaneers have until May 1 to officially pick up Wirfs’ option.
After starring with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Wirfs has emerged as one of the NFL’s best offensive tackles. Not only did he help the Buccaneers win Super Bowl LV in his first season in the league, but he was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. Since then, Wirfs has been a two-time Pro Bowler, in addition to being named a First-Team All-Pro in 2021 and Second-Team All-Pro in 2022.
Since the Buccaneers have moved on from Donovan Smith, rumors have circulated whether Wirfs will make the transition over to left tackle, after being a mainstay on the right side since entering the league. That certainly depends on the draft and Wirfs certainly has the flexibility to be moved around. However, one thing is for sure, Wirfs isn’t going anywhere.
The NFL world reacted to the huge Buccaneers news on social media:
Still very good chance the Bucs extend Wirfs before he ever plays a snap on the 5th year option. Will probably get the long term deal done sometime between December and The 2024 draft. That would lower his 2024 cap hit off the option price. See: Vea’s contract timeline. https://t.co/OyPBCUh7QS
— Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) April 22, 2023
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.