Buccaneers star has high odds to win new NFL award in 2025

Could a Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro win this inaugural NFL award?

Detailed view of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers helmet at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Skill position players in the NFL have a wealth of awards to win at the end of the year — MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, for example, are largely dominated by skill positions. But now, there's a new award in the NFL from 2025 onward, and one Bucs player has a pretty good chance of winning it.

Offensive lineman can be overlooked, but they're an integral part of what makes a team a competitor in today's league. Because so many great players don't have many chances to win awards, the NFL is introducing a new one called Protector of the Year, awarded to the NFL's best offensive lineman. Bucs fans, of course, already have a potential winner in mind, and that's left tackle Tristan Wirfs.

Wirfs was named a First Team All-Pro last year at left tackle, so he has a great shot at winning the award if his play holds — and bettors seem to think so too. Wirfs is currently 8/1 to win the award at BetOnline, per FOX Sports' Greg Auman, making him the player with the third-highest odds. Wirfs is right below betting favorite Penei Sewell (3/1) of the Detroit Lions and right behind second-place Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers.

Odds are out from @BetOnline_ag for NFL’s first Protector of the Year, and Bucs’ Tristan Wirfs has third-best odds: pic.twitter.com/TtiVFc3QgE

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) June 2, 2025

Wirfs' prowess as a pass blocker has been renowned in the NFL ever since he came into the league in 2020, and he's the first ever player to be named an All-Pro at both left and right tackle. With the same offensive line returning from last year, the chemistry will remain along the unit and Wirfs could have a good chance to take home the inaugural Protector of the Year award.

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