While the rest of the league sprinted through the rat race of the legal tampering period, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were hard at work bringing back their own guys.
Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans signed extensions before Monday arrived, and the Bucs reached agreements with Chase Edmonds, Lavonte David, and Chase McLaughlin in the following days. It wasn't until Wednesday that the team dipped into the free agency pool and even that was a move to bring back a former player.
Tampa Bay signed safety Jordan Whitehead to a two-year deal that brings him back to the place he spent the first five seasons of his career. It's a huge boost for the Bucs at a critical position of need, but it's not the last move the team will -- or should -- make this offseason.
4 moves Buccaneers need to make after signing Jordan Whitehead
Extend Tristan Wirfs
Bringing back Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans was huge for the Bucs, but it's not the last internal move the team needs to make. Tristan Wirfs is the best offensive tackle in the league and he's going to need to be paid like it very soon -- and by Tampa Bay.
Just like Antoine Winfield Jr., there's absolutely zero chance Wirfs will get away. He's a load-bearing piece of the team's core and a contract extension must get done sooner rather than later. Why wait -- the Bucs know how important he is and Wirfs has been vocal about how much he loves being in Tampa Bay. With Baker Mayfield back it will be essential to rebuild the offensive line and locking Wirfs in as the leader of the group for the foreseeable future is a no-brainer.
The Bucs have cap space left to use and getting a deal done now with Wirfs could help provide some relief over the next few years as the team navigates contracts for Evans, Mayfield, and others. Just like how getting Baker back was a hinge on which other moves swung, making sure Wirfs is taken care of will not only check a major box but help inform other moves around him.