NFL insider reports bad news for Buccaneers and Tristan Wirfs contract talks

For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, this offseason was all about keeping the band together and ensuring the right pieces were in place for the future. Jason Licht almost pulled off a clean sweep, with new deals for Antoine Winfield Jr., Baker Mayfield, and Mike Evans all getting done.

One massive loose end remains dangling, though.

Tristan Wirfs is entering the final year of his rookie deal and he wants a new contract before he takes the field. He staged a holdout during mandatory minicamp and is doing the same as the team begins training camp, although it's more of a soft holdout than anything else.

That's because it seems a deal is inevitable, so much so that Wirfs reported and was taking part in workouts despite his status as a hold out. All of that seems to indicate that a deal is going to get done soon, but there are now differing opinions on that.

Buccaneers and Tristan Wirfs are 'miles apart' on a new contract

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on Sunday that the Buccaneers and Wirfs aren't just far apart on a potential new deal, they're 'miles apart' as the team prepares to begin padded practice on Monday.

This isn't ideal, but it also flies in the face of some local reports that have indicated the exact opposite of what Schultz passed along. Late Sunday night, Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud reported that a deal could get done as soon as Monday before practice starts, noting that progress was being made and Wirfs had reported to training camp in good faith.

Hearing that the two sides are 'miles apart' doesn't gel with everything else that has come out, and seems to be completely out of the blue.

It also seems on par with how these contract talks have gone for the Bucs right before something gets done. A similar thing was reported right before Antoine Winfield Jr. agreed to a record-setting new contract, which is reason to believe this isn't as negative as it sounds.

Wirfs is in the same boat in terms of getting a record deal. The Bucs know they'll have to pay him like the best tackle in football, but the team has not indicated that will be a problem. As it seemed since this contract situation first bubbled up months ago, the most likely outcome remains a deal getting done and Wirfs remaining a key piece of Tampa Bay's core.

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