Todd Bowles Wasn’t Surprised
July 25th, 2024
Reported for duty.
Joe admits to being surprised. Very surprised.
Yesterday morning at One Buc Palace watching players roll out of the locker room to begin Training Camp 2024, there was big ol’ Tristan Wirfs.
Now Wirfs being on practice fields this offseason was common. He just wasn’t practicing. Wirfs is entering the final year of his rookie contract and, arguably the best tackle in the game, wants to get his Bucs contract extention wrapped up.
That hasn’t happened. As a result, Wirfs staged a sit-in. He showed up for spring workouts and watched practices from the sidelines during minicamp.
Joe doesn’t know if there was one person at One Buc Palace ticked at this. Everyone, and Joe means everyone, looks up to and respects Wirfs.
And Joe couldn’t blame Wirfs one bit for sitting out. Wirfs watched with his own eyes two years ago in an underwear football practice Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen go down with a destroyed knee. But for a desperate one-game comeback attempt, Jensen’s career was done. In the blink of an eye.
If that happened to Wirfs, how many millions would he see vanish? Maybe $120 million? Maybe more?
Shoot, even former Bucs guard and popular local sports radio personality Ian Beckles said before the end of last season if he were Wirf’s agent, there would be no way he’d allow Wirfs to take one step on a practice field without a new contract.
And Beckles may be Wirfs’ biggest supporter.
But there was Wirfs yesterday practicing. Holdout over. For now. Bucs coach Todd Bowles wasn’t shocked.
“I’m not surprised to see it,” Bowles said. “He loves the game, he loves to play, he loves his teammates. He did a good job today.”
Is it a gamble for Wirfs? Yes. Potentially a monumental gamble to practice without a new deal, though he is still in the final year of his rookie contract.
Now, the next question is, if Wirfs does not have a contract by September, does he suit up for the season opener against the Commandos? He’s due $21 million this season.
July 25th, 2024 at 12:28 am
IB must know where the bodies are at the way J keeps his wanker wet
July 25th, 2024 at 6:27 am
There’s no reason to sit out. The Bucs have always rewarded loyalty under the Licht regime
July 25th, 2024 at 6:39 am
Let’s just make sure Logan Hall is nowhere near Tristan during practices.
July 25th, 2024 at 6:41 am
Don’t want to see Wirf’s hurt though. Good to see him, but Jensen is still on my mind and his injury.
July 25th, 2024 at 7:13 am
What is wrong with my comment? Do you not want me on your site? If so let me know
July 25th, 2024 at 7:37 am
ATLBuc – I see your comments above. I think that sometimes the automated system randomly does it and then the comment needs to be manually reviewed each time by Joe. And will probably occur again. Mine and others posting go through the same thing at times. No one is signaled out. Awhile back Joe pointed out that it is a lengthy process for him to manually reverse what the system did.
July 25th, 2024 at 7:58 am
Wirfs and Licht were waiting for Darrisaw to set the market so Wirfs will sign within a week or so.
“ The Minnesota Vikings signed left tackle Christian Darrisaw to a four-year deal worth up to $113 million, his agency and the team announced Tuesday.
Darrisaw’s new pact includes $77 million guaranteed and $43.7 million guaranteed at signing. He is now under contract through 2029. “
July 25th, 2024 at 8:12 am
If he is going to practice, he better be wearing two very large knee braces and have his eye’s on the lookout for Logan Hall.
July 25th, 2024 at 9:51 am
Enough with the Logan Hall nonsense please. It was just a freak accident and Hall was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It could have just as easily been LVD, Devin White or anyone else in the area at the time. In spite of Mr. Goodell – it’s still football.
July 25th, 2024 at 10:02 am
Vikings up-and-coming second-year corner just tore his ACL and is out for the year. Anyone else kind of fear seeing a similar Buc-related headline through training camp?
July 25th, 2024 at 10:07 am
So you fret about a freak accident like Jensen….. can happen anytime, anywhere, to anybody. If it did happen it would be better to happen before Bucs wrap him up for 100+million, just saying. Still making 21 million this year which is more than what most will make in a lifetime. I will give him a solid, he is fulfilling his agreement.
July 25th, 2024 at 10:12 am
Him being unsigned at this point is just stupid.
July 25th, 2024 at 10:23 am
That’s BS Lt. Dan. They told the team at the time they were to take it easy and that it was not full go. If you look at the video, you can clearly see he was the only one. In shoving Stinnie in the back of Jensen’s legs clearly shows he was just downright stupid.
July 25th, 2024 at 11:16 am
It’s worth a story but not worth anxiety.
Licht has the best draftee resign rate in the NFL. Name one player we’ve wanted to keep that we haven’t during Licht’s tenure. 0. Not one. Wirfs is a Buc.
July 25th, 2024 at 12:11 pm
Yeah, I’m not a fan of the holdout game because what it takes away the team as a whole. In the near future once again the Bucs will have to put another oc’s plan to use on the field from paper to grass. The smallest slip up could be the difference between a W or an L . We know that Wirfs is highly deserving of everything he wants at this point. But just like that, in a millisecond, it could all be over. it kinda takes you by surprise even thinking of it. That’s the brutal truth about it.
July 25th, 2024 at 12:26 pm
Everyone knows Logan The Oaf needs to be kept in isolation, for the good of the team.
July 25th, 2024 at 2:18 pm
What money is he asking for?
Yes, if Wirth is willing to take a team friendly salary with player friendly guaranteed money, extending him now would be a win-win, and team should carry the risk.
But, should the team take all of the risk by extending him at a top-of-the-position salary with a ton of guaranteed money while he is still under salary? Shouldn’t both sides share the risk and the benefits?
Some star players used to buy insurance against career ending/limiting injuries. I am not sure that it is a common practice now, and I have no idea what the rates are. But, go with the $120 million dollar career number someone mentioned earlier. If he doesn’t want to sign for team friendly money with player friendly guaranteed money, then he should spend $5 to $10 million of this year’s $21 million for a $60 million dollar policy to insure his future earnings against injury. That should be a reasonable policy to write. You would want to do an exhaustive due diligence investigation into his physical health, psychological health and career motivation. But, a career ending/limiting injury in one season at his position, age, and skill level seems like a risk a private equity insurer would take at odds between 6:1 and 12:1.
If he wants to hold out for maximum money, he should spend from his own pocket for the guaranteed money. If he doesn’t want to spend from his own pocket for guaranteed money, then he should extend now for a lot of guaranteed team friendly money.
July 26th, 2024 at 11:24 am
My view has always been That if they are in a contract year year they should suit, practice and play.
July 26th, 2024 at 8:18 pm
This is a contract year ..