Tristan Wirfs has zero control over the situation where he helps the Buccaneers bring Mike Evans back in 2026
Expect the Bucs to go to the Wirfs Well in order to re-sign Evans.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have some big goals to accomplish this offseason and the most important one is figuring out a way to keep superstar receiver and franchise legend, Mike Evans.
Evans is coming off the worst year of his career after missing nine games with a shoulder injury, but showed in limited time that he can still play at a high level. With that being said, he turns 33 later this year and has publicly stated, on multiple occasions, that he doesn’t have much time left in the NFL.
Regardless, it’s a moot point if the Buccaneers can’t even afford to bring him back, right? When initially looking at the team’s current total of $18,268,258 in effective salary cap space (the number includes both the projected cost of the draft class and the number of players needed to reach 51), it’s easy to see why one may be a bit concerned at Jason Licht’s ability to do just that.
But, any worry quickly subsides when looking at Tristan Wirfs’ contract, because it holds the key to re-signing Evans and potentially other players. Whether they’re in-house guys or from the outside.
Buccaneers can clear a ton of cap room by restructuring Tristan Wirfs’ contract
Contract restructures are a very common way of creating cap room that benefits both team and player. Sure, players have zero say in whether or not their respective team can restructure their deal, but the immediate result is cash in their pocket and it’s usually a lot of cash. So, it’s a win-win for everyone in the short term.
Wirfs is due $26 million in base salary, aka, cash in 2026. He’s set to receive this money in the form of 18 weekly checks during the regular season. Said base salary, along with $10,328,582 in prorated money from his initial signing bonus, are what compose his $36,328,582 salary cap hit for this year.
Licht can execute what’s called a max restructure with Wirfs by stripping his salary down to the seventh-year player minimum of $1.3 million and converting the remaining $24.7 million into a signing bonus. He’d then prorate that over the life of Wirfs’ deal, which is four years. The prorated number would come out to $6.175 million each year.
So, Wirfs would be on the books for a $1.3 million base salary and the new prorated amount of $16,503,582 (the initial $10,328,582 in prorated money + the newly converted $6.175 million) in 2026. This brings his total cap hit to $17,803,582, which is $18.525 million less than the previous amount of $36,328,582.
Yes, that means the Buccaneers can open up as much as $18.525 million in cap room through a max restructure of Wirfs’ 2026 salary. It makes sense for him to be the main target, as well, considering he’s entering his age-27 season and is expected to be around for the long haul. On top of the fact he still has four years left on his deal and there are no void years currently tacked on.
It wouldn’t make as much sense for an older player who has less years on his deal. It doesn’t have to be to this extent, but I’ll honestly be shocked if the Buccaneers don’t modify Wirfs’ contract in order to help with the cap.
Buccaneers can go to Antoine Winfield Jr., Vita Vea, and Chris Godwin Jr., too
These guys are certainly options, but they’re nowhere near as likely as Wirfs due to various factors.
We’ll start with Vea. He’s the epitome of the above context regarding an older player with not a lot of years on his deal. Vea is 31 and on the last year of the four-year extension he signed back in 2022.
It would be a surprise if his contract gets restructured, however, the Bucs could extend him in order to help reduce his 2026 cap hit. I’d also say that probably doesn’t happen, but the odds are far greater than a restructure.
Winfield Jr. has two years remaining on his deal and he already has two void years containing $7+ million and $3+ million in each one, so while his $19.5 million base salary is enticing, it’s doubtful the Buccaneers make any significant adjustments to it.
And lastly, there’s Godwin Jr.’s $22 million base salary. Like Winfield Jr., he’s in the penultimate year of his deal and has two void years already tacked on at $4.149 million apiece. When accounting for that and his injury history, he’s unlikely to receive a restructure, as well.
Granted, the Buccaneers could make minor restructures, but even that isn’t likely due to the above factors.
Wirfs, on the other hand, makes perfect football and financial sense when talking about a significant restructure. He holds the key to bringing back Mike Evans – it’s just up to Licht and Co. to decide whether or not they want to use it.
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