Re-Upping With Tristan Wirfs, Sooner The Better
June 5th, 2023
Finances.
Joe promises not to go into the usual full-blown meltdown/foot-stomping here.
When the Bucs decided to move Tristan Wirfs to left tackle, the happiest man in the world was very likely Wirfs’ agent.
Ordinarily, left tackles make more than right tackles. Right now, we don’t know if Wirfs can excel at left tackle. We know he is All-World at right tackle.
(If you *know* Wirfs can dominate at left tackle, why waste your mentalist skills on football? Give Joe tonight’s winning Powerball numbers and Joe will split the winnings with you. Before taxes, your take should be $135+ million. Deal?)
Before Wirfs has a shot to blow up at left tackle, follically-challenged Billy Barnwell of BSPN suggests Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht better re-up Wirfs before his agent takes Team Glazer to the cleaners.
Extend Tristan Wirfs. Tampa Bay’s first-round pick in 2020, he has excelled at right tackle since entering the NFL. With the Bucs releasing oft-penalized [Donovan] Smith for cap reasons, the expectation is now that Wirfs will move to left tackle and Luke Goedeke will shift from guard to right tackle. If Wirfs excels in his new role, he’ll only get more expensive. Better to try to get a deal done now, even if Wirfs ends up landing more than $21 million per season.
This is sound logic. And yeah, Joe knows the Bucs are currently under the ($)401k plan. But a Wirfs contract extension can kick in next season.
And if Wirfs doesn’t work out at left tackle, does anyone really have a problem with Wirfs being the highest-paid right tackle in the game?
June 5th, 2023 at 8:09 am
My guy Wirfs, who I pushed for us to draft, will be worth every penny at Left Tackle….dont even make me go there….PAY THE MAN!
June 5th, 2023 at 8:20 am
Enough with the negative paranoia about moving Wirfs. He is one of the best players this team had ever had. So you don’t think he will be better than Mr holding Donnie at Lt. Not that high of a bar. Move on.
June 5th, 2023 at 8:26 am
I have mixed feelings about moving Tristan to the left side.
June 5th, 2023 at 8:27 am
Pay him and free up some cap space. Salary’s keep going up they wont go down. extend him now and save.
June 5th, 2023 at 8:30 am
Maybe there either hoping he turns into the heat LT in the leauge, or struggles with the transition and gets a discount going into next year and looks at this year at a soft reboot for the franchise
June 5th, 2023 at 8:35 am
I agree. Have thought this for awhile now. SIGN HIM UP
June 5th, 2023 at 8:38 am
Here ya go: 12 – 21 – 22 – 39 – 42 – 85
June 5th, 2023 at 8:39 am
Extend Evans, then pay Tristan, and after that tag and/or pay AW Jr in that order.
June 5th, 2023 at 8:41 am
His agent won’t let him. If he’s smart. If Tristan knows he can kill it at LT, then he waits. He holds all the cards here, and the Bucs handed them to him.
Exact opposite of Devin White, who has zero leverage and is apparently to dense to realize it.
June 5th, 2023 at 8:42 am
Re-signing Tristan to a LONG 2nd contract is Priority #1 IMO. He’d be making $18.2 mil next year based on the Bucs picking up his 5th-year option, but Spotrac has his Market Value listed at $24.8 mil based a a new 4-year $99 mil contract. I wouldn’t have any problem with making it longer than that (say 6 years) if that would get the annual cost down to say $21 or $22 mil. He’s that good.
BTW, we’ll have some other really big contracts due in 2024 (Evans, White, Winfield, LVD, Gaines, perhaps Mayfield?) in addition to Wirfs. And unfortunately, we only have $15 mil of 2024 CAP space based on Spotrac’s assumed $240.5 mil adjusted salary CAP (hopefully it’ll be higher than that) … that’s with 65 players under contract for 2024 (roughly about a third or half of whom probably won’t make the team this year so they’ll be gone). And oh ya, it doesn’t count Dead CAP because no one knows what it’ll be right now. IOW, we’re already well in the hole for 2024, with some big contracts to negotiate. Everyone better be pulling for Kyle Trask to win the starting nod, because if Baker does even reasonably well, he’d be wanting $25 mil plus … money we don’t have.
June 5th, 2023 at 9:04 am
Joe doesn’t know. Never saw him take a snap at left tackle. HAVE seen him totally dominate at right tackle.
Joe is one of those guys who needs evidence to have confidence. And no, Joe is not moving on.
June 5th, 2023 at 9:28 am
Only thing better than a pro bowl right tackle is a pro bowl left tackle. Wirfs can be both. That’s why the pro personal men, and the coaches make these decisions, and not the Joes.
June 5th, 2023 at 9:42 am
Wirfs is outstanding. Great ability and stamina and rarely gets injured. Great teammate and personality. I agree with those advocating an early signing. Like today.
June 5th, 2023 at 9:53 am
Do you honestly think Wirfs and his agent would sign a longterm RT contract on the eve of his transition to LT? Would you accept a middle management tier contract when your boss has already sent an email to the company announcing your promotion to a c-suite role?
June 5th, 2023 at 10:46 am
We continue to put ourselves in a weak position to extend contracts on our rookie draft picks.
We couldn’t with Godwin and had to franchise him and then paid a fortune.
We couldn’t with Davis or Dean
We can’t with Devin White causing a problem.
This is a matter of priorities….we wanted to max the cap instead of taking care of futures.
I’m not complaining about the strategy…..just explaining….there is a cost.
June 5th, 2023 at 12:09 pm
We won’t be in a position to maximize future years until we get ahead, and signing Wirfs now is how you do it.
This team will be paying the penalty for re-signing an entire team the year after winning it all.
There is a GOOD reason why nobody had ever done it. It’s stupid.
Pretty plain to see looking back. Then the next year you look like an old team, because you are.
This organization is holding on by a thread and Bowles stepped into a bad deal again.
Anybody think he makes it through rebuilding years?
All waiting does is seek mediocrity which this team will be.
June 5th, 2023 at 1:28 pm
It’s a no brainer.
June 5th, 2023 at 2:20 pm
Joe still mad about Wirfs at LT
Let it go man. It’s going to be ok. Better than that even.
June 5th, 2023 at 4:08 pm
it’ll be ok…remember when they bounced ali around a little bit…
this year at LT is just fine…in fact it’s a perfect year for the experiment…
sign him on asap…
in the contract…
– no more jumping out of pools
– no more carrying around trees
– and if his pal at RT is chewing glass, skip it
June 5th, 2023 at 5:16 pm
I’m in the minority like Joe. Keep Wirfs at RT!! Don’t create a problem at the position where we’re the most stable
June 5th, 2023 at 5:20 pm
“Taking the Glazers to the Cleaners” Glazers have proved time and time again they do not hesitate to pay good players and arent afraid to re-set the market for that player. Can Wirfs be the highest paid LT in the game next season? Mos Def.