Buccaneers left tackle Tristan Wirfs said that contract talks with the team were going well this week and they reached the finish line on Thursday.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Wirfs and the Bucs have agreed to a five-year, $140.63 million contract extension. Wirfs was under contract for 2024, so he is now tied to the Bucs through the 2029 season.
Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht said recently that Wirfs deserves to be the highest-paid tackle in the league and the agreement puts him in that position.
Wirfs was a first-round pick in 2020 and he helped the team win the Super Bowl as a rookie. He was a first-team All-Pro the next season, a second-team All-Pro in 2022 and he’s been a Pro Bowler the last three seasons despite switching from right to left tackle in 2023. Thursday’s deal shows the Bucs are banking on continued productivity for a player who has given them no reason to doubt he’ll remain among the best tackles in the NFL.
Buccaneers offensive lineman Sua Opeta injured his knee in Tuesday night’s practice, and an MRI confirmed the bad news.
Opeta tore his ACL and is out for the season, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.
Opeta was competing with Ben Bredeson for the starting left guard job, which was left vacant by Aaron Stinnie’s departure for the Giants in free agency.
Opeta signed a one-year deal with the Bucs in March after starting six games for the Eagles last season and appearing in seven others. He played 527 snaps in 2023.
The best way for a rookie wide receiver to make an impact is to form a connection with their quarterback and it appears that’s going on for Jalen McMillan in Tampa.
McMillan was a third-round pick in April after finishing up his run at the University of Washington. He hurt his knee early in his final year with the Huskies, which helped him get overshadowed by Bears first-rounder Rome Odunze and Patriots second-rounder Ja’Lynn Polk on his way into the NFL.
During an appearance on NFL Network, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield said he thinks the rookie is “back to true form” and Mayfield shared his opinion that McMillan’s true form is that of “a stud.”
“He’s a guy that runs so smooth,” Mayfield said. “He does some things at the top of his routes — he’s so friendly to the ball — that veterans do.”
The Bucs have a couple of veteran stalwarts at the top of the depth chart in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but McMillan could earn playing time alongside them if he’s impressing the team’s coaching staff as much as he’s impressing Mayfield.
Buccaneers offensive lineman Sua Opeta injured his knee in Tuesday night’s practice.
Coach Todd Bowles was uncertain the severity immediately after practice.
“I’ve got to go in and see how bad,” Bowles said, via video from pewterreport.com.
Opeta was competing with Ben Bredeson for the starting left guard job, which was left vacant by Aaron Stinnie’s departure for the Giants in free agency.
Opeta signed a one-year deal with the Bucs in March after starting six games for the Eagles last season and appearing in seven others. He played 527 snaps.
Buccaneers left tackle Tristan Wirfs sounds confident that he’ll have a new contract soon.
Wirfs said on Monday morning that he hoped to have an agreement before training camp but is happy with how close they’re getting.
“It would’ve been nice for it to have been done already, but that’s part of the business,” Wirfs said. “I was here all offseason training. Everyone knows I like it here. We’re working on getting it done. It’s been good.”
Wirfs said he wants to be cautious and not injure himself in training camp, but that holding out altogether is not something he would do. Wirfs indicated that he and head coach Todd Bowles are on the same page about him getting a reduced workload while he tries to stay healthy ahead of an anticipated contract agreement.
“I talked to Coach Bowles about it,” Wirfs said. “I’ve got to be out here. It’s just not in my DNA.”
Wirfs said they’re getting closer and working on the last details of a long-term agreement.
“It’s all been good. We’re just trying to work out some little things. I think we’re moving, the past couple days have been really, really good,” Wirfs said.
Bucs G.M. Jason Licht said Friday that he’s optimistic a Wirfs deal will be done soon, and with Wirfs saying something similar today, there’s every reason to believe a long-term contract will get done.
