Two Bucs were selected for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games on Thursday. Left tackle Tristan Wirfs and defensive tackle Vita Vea will represent Tampa Bay in Orlando this year.

The Pro Bowl distinction is Wirfs’ fourth in a row since 2021, and Vea has earned his second trip to the Pro Bowl with his first coming during the 2021 season.

Tampa Bay also has a couple of first alternate selections. Quarterback Baker Mayfield, who was an alternate last year and wound up in his first Pro Bowl and was named the Offensive MVP, was one of them. Kicker Chase McLaughlin was the other.

Linebacker Lavonte David and wide receiver Mike Evans were also named as other alternates for the Pro Bowl.

Vita Vea Worked Hard To Deserve Pro Bowl Recognition

Bucs DT Vita Vea and Eagles QB Jalen Hurts – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Perhaps no one worked harder in the offseason to get in shape for the 2024 campaign than defensive tackle Vita Vea. For years Vea would play over his listed weight of 347 pounds, but this year he reported to the Bucs offseason program in tremendous shape right around his roster weight. Vea worked out during the offseason with former Tampa Bay defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and only missed one game due to injury this year as a result.

Vea, who is in his seventh NFL season, has amassed 39 tackles (nine tackles for loss), six sacks, 12 quarterback hits and one pass defensed in 15 games played this season. Per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Vea ranks seventh among all interior defensive tackles (min. 600 snaps) in quarterback pressure rate (10.5%), eighth in stuff percentage (4.4%) and tied for 10th in sacks.

According to Spotrac.com, Vea earned a $500,000 bonus incentive for making the Pro Bowl this season.

Vea has been a force against the run during the 2024 season, and Tampa Bay’s run defense ranks fifth in fewest rushing yards allowed per game (99.9). If Tampa Bay can hold its Top 5 ranking against the run this season through Week 18, the Bucs will have finished as a Top 5 run defense in five of the six seasons since Vea became a full-time starter in 2019, including twice boasting the NFL’s best (2019-20).

Since 2019, Tampa Bay ranks first in rush defense (94.1 rush yards per game), first in fewest yards allowed per rush attempt (4.0), third in fewest rushing touchdowns allowed (68) and second in sacks (279.0).

Since returning from its Bye in Week 12, Tampa Bay’s defense ranks first against the run (57.8 rushing yards allowed per game), second in total defense (270.8 yards allowed per game) and third in scoring defense (16.7).

Tristan Wirfs Dominance Continues At Left Tackle

Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Tristan Wirfs’ four Pro Bowl honors are now the most by an offensive lineman in Tampa Bay history, surpassing center Tony Mayberry (three), and tying tight end Jimmie Giles for the third-most selections among all offensive players in team history, trailing only Mike Alstott (six) and Mike Evans (five). He also joined Alstott as Tampa Bay’s lone offensive players to have earned four-or-more consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl, and became the first Bucs player on either side of the ball to accomplish this feat since Gerald McCoy made six consecutive Pro Bowls from 2012-17.

Wrapping up his fifth NFL season and his second at left tackle, Wirfs has garnered four Pro Bowl selections, one Associated Press first-team All-Pro selection (2021), a second-team All-Pro selection (2022) and was a member of the PFWA All-Rookie Team (2020), in addition to starting on Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl LV Championship team in his rookie season.

In 2024, Wirfs has totaled 909 offensive snaps through Week 17, and per Pro Football Focus (PFF) metrics, has yielded just one quarterback hit and 10 pressures, while not surrendering a single sack across 15 games played. PFF has credited Wirfs with a 93.2 pass-blocking grade this season – the highest among any qualified offensive lineman. Among all qualified tackles with 850+ offensive snaps in 2024, Wirfs ranks fifth with an 84.0 overall offensive grade, per PFF.

Wirfs also owns the lowest quarterback pressure rate (4.3%) and lowest 1-on-1 pressure rate (4.8%) among players with 500+ pass-blocking snaps played this season, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

Since Wirfs was drafted in 2020, Tampa Bay ranks third in the NFL in fewest sacks allowed per pass attempt (3.8%), in addition to allowing the fourth-fewest total sacks (146) during that span. This season, Wirfs is anchoring a Bucs offense that ranks in the top five in points scored (29.7 per game), total yards (399.9), passing yards (252.6), rushing yards (147.3), first downs (23.4) and third down conversion percentage (50%).

The Bucs are the only team that ranks Top 5 in total yards per game, passing yards per game and rushing yards per game through Week 17.

The 2025 Pro Bowl Games are set to take place January 30 through February 2 in Orlando and will be broadcasted on ESPN.