It was a busy offseason for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but there's still work to be done.
While the team brought back key pieces like Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans, arguably the best player on the team still needs a new contract. The Bucs franchise tagged Antoine Winfield Jr., a move that was expected but still needs to be addressed.
Winfield playing next season on the tag is doubtful, as the move was made as a means of extending the negotiating window rather than putting off paying him. There's still a chance a deal doesn't get done before the July deadline, but the expectation would be the Bucs tagging him for a second straight offseason in 2025 and restarting extension talks.
Ideally we don't reach that point and something gets done before training camp rolls around.
Antoine Winfield Jr. contract talks with Buccaneers are 'progressing'
After the Jacksonville Jaguars reached a $150 million extension with pass rusher Josh Allen, ESPN's Adam Schefter provided an update on where things stand with Winfield and the Bucs.
Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tee Higgins are the last two remaining players to be franchised this off-season not to land a long-term deal.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 10, 2024
Winfield have been working towards a new deal that would make him the NFL’s highest-paid safety and there is optimism it will get done, per… https://t.co/ABX6B5lzAL
It seems things haven't really changed much since Winfield was tagged back in early March. The expectation then remains the same now, that the two sides want to get a deal done and something should happen soon.
How soon is the big question.
More than just Bucs fans are keeping a close eye on Winfield's deal. NFL executives around the league expect his new contract to reset the market at safety. This despite the fact that Winfield was snubbed from the Pro Bowl and remains an underrated superstar at the national level, although a record-setting deal will change that.
Winfield was by far the Bucs best player last year, saving more than a few games -- and the season -- with his knack for punching the ball out at the goal line. He turned in a career year even by his already high standards and the expectation is that he's on track to become one of the next great players in franchise history.
All of that is just further motivation for the Bucs to figure out a way to ensure Winfield is locked in as a key piece of the team's core for the foreseeable future.