Tristan

Wirfs

The Buccaneers’ bye week could not come at a better time. The week off will give Wirfs some time to recover without the risk of missing an extra game, and the team is still holding out hope that Mike Evans (hamstring) can return in Week 12 after the bye. Wirfs will likely miss a game or two, but it seems unlikely the team will place him on injured reserve. Still, it’s a massive loss for the Buccaneers, who will likely replace him with veteran backup Justin Skule, who replaced him on Sunday. Todd Bowles said that Wirfs has a “low grade knee sprain” and “will be week to week.”

A long-term absence would be another tough blow for a Bucs team that has had to absorb its fair share of injuries already this year. Wirfs was replaced by Justin Skule against the 49ers and presumably Skule would be the starter going forward if Wirfs — who has played through injuries impressively before — can’t go in Week 12. Wirfs had a 92.5 PFF pass block grade entering today’s game.

Wirfs got rolled up in ugly fashion in the second quarter. He remained down for a while before eventually making his way to the locker room under his own power. The bad news there is that it was gingerly, and it was to the locker room, not the sideline. Longtime reserve Justin Skule is now in the game on the blindside.

Wirfs joins teammate Antoine Winfield as the two highest-paid players in league history at their respective positions. Just days after it was reported Wirfs and the Bucs were “miles apart” on an extension, the fifth-year tackle is now the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history and under contract through the 2029 season. Wirfs is a three-time Pro Bowler and was named a First-team All-Pro in his second season in the league. Wirfs has played in 63 of a possible 67 regular season games since entering the league in 2020. He earned a PFF pass-blocking grade of 84.3 last season, allowing five sacks on 24 pressures. Wirfs will get more than $88 million in guaranteed money on this new contract.

Wirfs, 25, is one of the top left tackles in the game. Currently in the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, Wirfs reported to mandatory minicamp earlier this year, and has been a participant in training camp despite his desire for a new deal. Wirfs is set to earn $18.6 million on his fifth-year option and is expected to be the highest-paid left tackle in the league — or close to it — when all is said and done. Last season, Wirfs allowed five sacks on 24 pressures per PFF while earning a blocking grade of 81.1. It wouldn’t be surprising if Wirfs landed a new deal before the start of the season, but this recent report creates some doubt.

Wirfs reports (and avoids fines) while seeking a long-term deal with the team. He’ll earn around $18.2 million if he plays under the fifth year option in 2024. Wirfs, 25, has proven to be an elite tackle and is likely to strike some kind of deal with the Bucs in the coming weeks. Tampa Bay’s offensive line in 2023 was graded by PFF as the NFL’s 10th best pass blocking unit.

As Stroud notes in his article, “The team really doesn’t want [Wirfs] to participate and risk getting hurt since he hasn’t done any real full-squad field work with teammates since the loss to the Lions last postseason.” Wirfs is in the final year of his rookie deal and is currently seeking an extension. Right now, he’s set to earn $18.2 million under his fifth-year option this season, and will report to camp to avoid being fined more than $100k for his absence. Wirfs is a three-time Pro Bowler and was a first-team All-Pro back in 2021. The 25-year-old tackle is among the best in the league and is in line for a big payday whenever an extension is reached.

Wirfs has developed into one of the league’s premier pass-blocking tackles during the first three years of his NFL career for the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay ceded just 22 sacks and held an impressive 3.4 percent adjusted sack rate in 2022, in large part to the abilities of their blindside protector. The option locks in Wirfs through the 2024 season, when he’ll be scheduled to make a fully-guaranteed $18.2 million.

Wirfs got in two limited sessions coming off a high-ankle sprain that has kept him out since Week 13. He appears ahead of the initial 3-4 week timetable that was leaked to the national NFL media, but is not exactly guaranteed to play in this game just by being on the questionable line. It would be a little boost for the Bucs if their star could make it back.

Head coach Todd Bowles said he didn’t expect Wirfs to play in Week 15 against the Bengals, but the veteran right tackle has now practiced in some capacity on back-to-back days. He’s certainly trending in the right direction ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Bengals, but we’ll likely know more on his status near the end of the week.