Buccaneers training camp celebrated Tristan Wirfs' new contract and it was perfect
By Josh Hill
Tristan Wirfs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came together on a historic new deal, tying a fantastic bow around what was an incredibly successful offseason for Jason Licht.
The Bucs came into the offseason with three key players needing new deals. Both Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans inked extensions before hitting free agency, while Antoine Winfield Jr was handed the richest contract for a defensive back in NFL history a few months later.
All of that motivated Wirfs to get in on the action. His rookie contract was set to expire at the end of this upcoming season, and rather than wait until next March to get something done he held out of offseason camps to get a new deal now.
It was a mutual feeling, as the Bucs last loose thread was tied off in the form of a $140 million extension for Wirfs. He now becomes both the highest-paid offensive tackle in the NFL as well as the richest player in Buccaneers franchise history.
Needless to say, training camp was quite the site on Thursday morning when Wirfs showed up after signing his new deal.
Buccaneers training camp celebrated Tristan Wirfs new $140 million contract in the most perfect way
One of the coolest -- and most telling -- things about the Wirfs situation is that his arrival at camp after signing his deal wasn't the first time teammates had seen him. While he was holding out for a new contract, Wirfs still reported to camp and even participated in workouts as a show of good faith with the team.
That's why reports this week that the two sides were far apart never really made sense. While there was no doubt some negotiating that needed to happen, there wasn't ever an indication that this would end any other way than Wirfs agreeing to a deal and the Bucs making sure he was taken care of.
Reactions at training camp after Wirfs showed up fresh off signing his new contract proves just how much mutual respect and love there is, and why a deal was always going to get done.
Wirfs and Todd Bowles also shared a pretty cool moment when they embraced and celebrated the contract finally getting done.
Wirfs didn't need to ask for a new contract this offseason, and he didn't do it to put unneccesary pressure on the Bucs. This happened because everyone involved wanted things to continue beyond this season and for there to not be any stress about a new contract distracting from the goals everyone has this season.
Those goals are pretty big. After outperforming expectations last season, the Bucs have their eyes set on reaching the Super Bowl and bringing a Lombardi Trophy back to Tampa Bay. Anyone doubting how serious the team is about that should look no further than the fact that five players are now making over $20 million, which wasn't the case a few months ago.
Wirfs being the final deal to get done is a perfect cherry on top of a tremendously successful offseason. Jason LIcht put on a masterclass keeping his core group of players together, and the future has never looked brighter for a team that so many people had written off this time last year.
Beyond the Wirfs deal, that's reason enough to have to sort of excited reactions everyone had at Bucs training camp on Thursday.
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