HC Todd Bowles Gives Antoine Winfield Jr. High Praise Following Official Signing

It has been well-documented this offseason that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did everything possible to keep their key star, core players. They re-signed WR Mike Evans, LB Lavonte David and QB Baker Mayfield to multi-year deals and placed the franchise tag on the top safety in the league Antoine Winfield Jr. while they worked with him and his agent on a long-term contract extension.

It was announced last week that the Bucs and Winfield Jr. had reached an agreement on a contract making him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history — quite the feat. On Monday, the franchise and Tweeze made it official as Winfield Jr. put pen to paper on his four-year, $84.1 million contract with a $20 million signing bonus and $45 million guaranteed.

With the contract finalized, the Bucs announced the transaction with head coach Todd Bowles giving glaring remarks about his standout safety.

"It's hard to express what a player like Antoine Winfield Jr. means to our team," said head coach Todd Bowles in a release. " He's a dynamic player whose presence elevates our team every day and whose work ethic inspires those around him. Between his football IQ, his leadership and his relentless drive, he sets the standard for what it means to be a Buccaneer."

Coach Bowles couldn't have said it any better. Winfield Jr. means so much to this Buccaneers team. Without him on the field last season the Bucs likely would have lost two to three more games than they did, likely keeping them out of the playoffs. It is hard to go against the grain and say that one player can change the trajectory of a team, but that is exactly the level of player that Antoine Winfield Jr. is.

Getting him locked up for the foreseeable future was a great accomplishment for the Bucs' front office and they will likely now turn their attention to locking up the cornerstone of their offense in LT Tristan Wirfs.

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