Hey, Buccaneers! Go ahead and pay RT Tristan Wirfs his money
Pewter Report recently reported the Tampa Bay Buccaneers plan on approving All-Pro right tackle Tristan Wirfs' fifth-year option and it's one of the easiest decisions in franchise history. Seriously, it's probably right behind the decision to go after Tom Brady in free agency. Wirfs has been tremendous ever since he first donned the pewter and […]
Pewter Report recently reported the Tampa Bay Buccaneers plan on approving All-Pro right tackle Tristan Wirfs' fifth-year option and it's one of the easiest decisions in franchise history.
Seriously, it's probably right behind the decision to go after Tom Brady in free agency. Wirfs has been tremendous ever since he first donned the pewter and red in 2020, racking up two Pro Bowl selections and first- and second-team All-Pro nods in just three seasons. He's an absolute wall on the right side of the offensive line and he's starting to grow more and more as a leader, which is exactly what a player of his caliber needs to do.
"I want to be somebody that the guys can turn to or is gonna be the voice of the offensive line, you know, that's gonna stand up for us when need be. And kind of take the brunt of things when things aren't going so hot," Wirfs said recently. "I think I'm more than ready to do that. I think it started last year [and] it's been snowballing into into where we are now. I'm all for it."
Wirfs is the best right tackle in the NFL and probably the best offensive linemen in franchise history, already. If one thinks otherwise, then he's 1A, in both regards, at worst.
He's elite in both pass protection and in run blocking and is one of the most athletic offensive linemen in the game. Per Pro Football Focus, Wirfs has given up just 7.0 sacks, has allowed just 45 total pressures, and has been flagged for just 11 penalties over the course of three seasons that include over 2,300 offensive snaps.
For context purposes, the Cincinnati Bengals new left tackle, Orlando Brown Jr., gave up 4.0 sacks, allowed an NFL-high 58 total pressures, and was flagged seven times in 2022, alone.
That dude just signed a four-year, $64 million deal, too! If he's making that as a serviceable left tackle, then Wirfs is going to make exponentially more as the NFL's best right tackle. Per Spotrac, Wirfs' market value currently sits at $24.7 million, which sounds pretty accurate, and it's only going to up as he continues to get better as a player.
And, it's going to go up even more if Wirfs ends up making a successful switch to left tackle. If the Buccaneers move him to LT in 2023 and he makes the Pro Bowl in '23 and 2024, Wirfs could completely reset the offensive line market and command an extraordinary salary.
That's why the Buccaneers need to go ahead and lock Wirfs up with a fat extension, now. He already deserves the extension, for starters, and has given the franchise a level of play that most players dream of providing. And the obvious motive, here, is to lock Wirfs up before he becomes insanely expensive.
The best part out of all of this though -if the Buccaneers do decide to go ahead and pay Wirfs $24-$25 million per year- is that he will be worth every single penny.
