Buccaneers sign Tristan Wirfs to historic $140M extension: Full details and grade

One of the biggest things the Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed to do this offseason was figure out how to keep one of its most important players from leaving.

Antoine Winfield Jr., Baker Mayfield, and Mike Evans all signed big contract extensions to remain in Tampa Bay but all eyes were on Wirfs and whether or not the team would get something done with him.

Wirfs was the only one among that group to have not been a free agent this offseason, rather his contract expires at the end of next season. Rather than wait until then to get something done, he pushed the Bucs to try and get a deal done now and avoid any potential chaos. It was a sign of how much he wanted to stay in Tampa Bay and the way things unfolded proved that the feeling was mutual.

It took a little longer but both the Bucs and Wirfs agreed to a historic $140.6 million deal on Thursday.

Tristan Wirfs contract: Full details and breakdown of new deal with Buccaneers

Grade: A+

It's impossible to grade this any lower.

Wirfs is the best offensive tackle in football, and he's only 25 years old. He's been an anchor on the offensive line, one of the team's most consistent players, is already an All-Pro, and has taken over a role as a locker room leader.

He's managed to do all of this while still on his rookie contract.

There was no way the Bucs were going to let Wirfs go, regardless of what sort of noise was out there at a national level. Despite a report that suggested the two sides were "miles apart" on a new deal, there never seemed to be an indication that this situation would end in any other way than a deal getting done.

Wirfs held out of mandatory minicamp but still showed up; he continued to hold out at training camp, but both reported and participated in workouts. His leadership was already impressive, but it's hard to imagine his actions this offseason not directly factoring into the Bucs' motivation to not wait around to get a deal done.

This is now the second time this offseason the Bucs have reset the market at a position. Earlier the team made Antoine Winfield Jr. the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history with a $84 million contract extension.

The deal for Wirfs is even bigger, both in terms of what it does for the team and the size of the contract.

Wirfs deal sets a few different records. Not only is it the largest deal for an offensive lineman in NFL history but it's the biggest contract the Buccaneers have ever handed out in franchise history.

More Tampa Bay Buccaneers news and rumors