BREAKING: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Officially Franchise Tag S Antoine Winfield Jr.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made it a priority to retain key free agents this offseason after a run to the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. After agreeing to terms with star wide receiver Mike Evans to begin the week, the Buccaneers have made another move to continue fortifying the present and future of the franchise.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Tampa Bay has decided to franchise tag All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. while the two parties work on coming to terms on a longer-term deal. They can wait until July to agree to a new contract but BucsGameday's JC Allen expects an announcement to come sooner rather than later.
Winfield Jr. is coming off the most productive season of his professional career since being selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He recorded 122 tackles, six tackles for loss, six sacks, six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, three interceptions, and 12 pass deflections. Winfield Jr. was snubbed of Defensive Player of the Year and Pro Bowl honors but he was named First-Team All-Pro for the first time.
The franchise tag is expected to be around $17.1 million if Winfield Jr. and the Buccaneers can't come to terms by the deadline. He was regarded as the highest-graded safety by PFF during the 2023 season and tied for the league lead in forced fumble. Winfield Jr. previously won Super Bowl LV with the team and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2021.
Regardless, this was a necessary move by Tampa Bay to retain one of the top players on the roster. Winfield Jr. isn't just an all-pro talent on the field, he's a key leader and voice for the franchise in the locker room.
During his four years in pewter and red, Winfield Jr. has totaled 384 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries, seven interceptions, and 27 pass deflections in 59 appearances.
With Winfield Jr. and Evans locked down, the Buccaneers will continue to work on new contracts for quarterback Baker Mayfield and linebacker Lavonte David.
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