Thanks, David Tepper.

Bucs left tackle Tristan Wirfs was bouncing around the locker room today at One Buc Palace. Bouncing in that he was pretty mobile (and chipper) despite wearing a huge knee brace.

Wirfs said he will be good to go Sunday against the Raiders just like he was last week at Carolina. Only this time, Wirfs is looking forward to playing on grass.

The Stinking Panthers back in 2021 tore out the grass turf of Bank of America Stadium and installed artificial turf to save on maintenance — courtesy of one of the richest owners in the NFL, David Tepper, said to be worth some $20 billion.

(FYI, Gracie Hunt will someday inherit an empire currently valued at $24 billion. And people wonder why Joe calls Drew Lock the ultimate dumbass.)

Why does Joe bring up Tepper and his football field? Because it helped aggravate an injury to Wirfs, one of the best players on the Bucs roster.

Wirfs was asked about his injured knee today (since nobody could miss that big, black thing on his leg). Wirfs suffered a knee sprain against the 49ers right before the Bucs’ bye week. The Carolina game was Wirfs’ first start since the injury.

“Playing 80-some plays on the turf made it a little sore,” Wirfs confessed. “But I’m OK, just trying to rest it.”

Now this is a pet peeve of Joe’s. How is it so many owners who have open-air stadiums don’t need turf yet Tepper, who wipes his rear end each morning with $100 bills, can’t afford a natural grass field? In Carolina no less!

But of course, when Euro kickball teams come over to America to play in Tepper’s crib, he’s only too happy to rip out the artificial turf and replace it with natural grass (Carolina blue grass?).

This is an outrage! Tepper and the Stinking Panthers are the main tenant of that stadium. A crib in which his employees play 10 times a year (including two worthless preseason games). They can’t have natural grass? But the Euro kickballers can? This is just unbelievable to Joe.

And remember, it’s not just Tepper’s players. It’s opponents like Wirfs and the Bucs, too.

Joe has no idea if the turf made Wirfs’ injury more painful or increased his recovery time, but that could be a major issue for the Bucs as they desperately are clutching to playoff hopes down the stretch.

Joe is all for an 18-game schedule. In fact, if it rids our republic of the stain of worthless preseason games, then Joe is 100 percent behind a 20-game schedule.

Joe hopes if the NFL does go to 18 games (or more) the players’ association forces, as a bargaining chip, NFL owners to have grass in all stadiums that don’t have a fixed-roof dome.

Wirfs was adamant, even laughing about the idea that his injured knee may keep him off the field Sunday. But Joe didn’t find it the least bit charming that Tepper being such a cheapskate might indirectly cause Wirfs’ bum knee to linger.

That just isn’t right!