4 moves Buccaneers need to make after signing Jordan Whitehead

Hammer out a long-term deal with Antoine Winfield Jr.

Antoine Winfield Jr., much like Tristan Wirfs, is a load-bearing piece of the team's future core and needs to be locked in for the long haul. The clock is ticking a little louder for him than it is Wirfs as the team franchise tagged Winfield in order to extend the negotiating window.

That suggests confidence that the team believes it will get something done before the July deadline arrives, which all signs continue to point toward. Winfield loves Tampa Bay, and the Bucs love him right back as he proved to be one of the most valuable players -- if not the most valuable -- the team had last season.

Winfield had a career year, despite whatever weird stuff happened with him being a Pro Bowl snub. He's an All-Pro who is arguably the best player at his position, something reflected in the league-wide belief that he'll reset the safety market with his new contract. The best part about how phenomenal Winfield was last season is the fact that he's only getting better and still hasn't reached the peak of his powers yet. That will get factored into the final price of his deal, but it's also a reminder of why the Bucs need to make sure they get something done.

To be clear, there's nothing even remotely suggesting that the two sides won't get something done. Bumping Winfield's long-term deal up the To-Do list seems like a good idea with some cap space left to use and no clear moves to make.