“They Have To Get [Tristan] Wirfs Done!”
August 1st, 2024
“Greenberg, we may have to rethink our investment strategy.”
Of all the holdouts and hold-ins sprinkled throughout the NFL, a former NFL general manager and gopher for Bill Walsh, Al Davis and Bill Belicheat has a Bucs hold-in on his mind.
Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi, appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show,” believes there are two players that must absolutely, positively get their contracts taken care of before the regular season starts.
Both play the same position. One is with the Bucs. That would be left tackle Tristan Wirfs.
Lombardi noted San Francisco recently saw Trent Williams demand a new contract. He thinks that’s far more important to the 49ers than re-signing receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who is also holding out.
McAfee then mentioned how Wirfs is holding-in.
“Now Jason Licht, the GM of the Bucs, said, ‘Hey, we’re going to get Wirfs done.’ — They have to get Wirfs done! Because they need him,” Lombardi said.
“This is a team last year that was ranked 32nd in the league in rushing. And the year before with Tom Brady they were 32nd in the league in rushing.”
Then, Lombardi made an excellent point. The Bucs have a ton of draft capital invested in the offensive line yet with the exception of Wirfs, they’ve not seen much of a return.
“They’ve got a first-round pick at center, they’ve got a [second]-round pick at guard, they’ve got a second-round pick at right tackle,” Lombardi said.
And the Bucs have a first-round pick at left tackle.
So that’s two first-round picks (Graham Barton, Wirfs) on the line and two second-round picks (Luke Goedeke and Cody Mauch).
“I mean, they’ve put money into this line,” Lombardi said. “They’ve got to be able to run block.”
Lombardi seemed to suggest it’s disgraceful how a team with such a major investment in an offensive line can be worst in the league in running the ball two years in a row.
Of course, if Dave Canales wasn’t fully addicted to running up the middle last year and instead ran more behind Wirfs — which worked well — Rachaad White may have had his 1,000 yards and the Bucs likely wouldn’t have ranked last in rushing.
"Trent Williams is paramount for the 49ers and they know they've gotta get that deal done..
There's gotta be a deadline on this Brandon Aiyuk situation and somebody has to make a decision" @mlombardiNFL #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/Ada6ksR6wd
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 31, 2024
August 1st, 2024 at 6:16 am
Stop dilly dallying and give the man his due.
August 1st, 2024 at 6:59 am
For me the question would be do they need to clear cap space? Does someone need to be released or restructured to get this done? The last I heard the Bucs had the least amount (or close to) of cap space available in the NFL.
August 1st, 2024 at 7:08 am
Cap space would actually be increased AFTER this extension gets done. Which they can then use for another guard or two, and a box of knee replacements..
August 1st, 2024 at 7:13 am
Wirfs will get done. After Sua going down, I’m with Tristan on the sideline for now.
Yes, we invested in the line but these guys are young. Mauch and Goedeke have to step up this year, and Barton needs to come along quickly.
August 1st, 2024 at 8:03 am
What in the wide wide world of sports is a going on here? Don’t mess around and make a generational player angry. Players like Wirfs, some teams never ever find one like this.
August 1st, 2024 at 8:16 am
If I’m reading the quotes properly I don’t care for Lombardi’s argument. Bucs lost Ali Marpet in his prime, Cappa to free agency and their bona fide leader at center Ryan Jensen all in one offseason. Now add in the fact that the Bucs were cash strapped from the SB run and you see those effects.
They have been catching up ever since.
August 1st, 2024 at 8:21 am
Agree with others. Could they be waiting to release Gregory and others for more cap space for Wirfs? Do teams have to still give the full amount of money to cut players not during the season? I don’t think they have to, but it seems to be somewhat confusing and maybe determined by each individual. Whatever the reasoning is, Wirfs definitely needs have an impressive contract soon.
August 1st, 2024 at 6:42 pm
While I completely agree with this statement, let’s also call a spade a spade:
– Barton is a rookie who hasn’t taken a single snap yet.
– Goedeke and Mauch have both played 1 season at their current positions
Maybe let’s give these guys more than 1 season before writing them off?