An important figure in the success of the Bucs for the 2025 NFL season is free safety Antoine Winfield Jr. – Todd Bowles’ favorite chess piece. After a down year last season because of injury, we’re all under the assumption that Winfield is once again going to be a top level player and a big reason why Tampa Bay’s defense gets back to shutting down opponents.

But what if Winfield isn’t the 2023 All-Pro version of himself this year? What if injuries continue to take it’s toll?

It’s likely that simply not being available was the biggest culprit of Winfield’s down 2024 season. Winfield missed eight games last year starting with Weeks 2-5. Then he missed Weeks 15-18 to close out the schedule, though he did come back for the postseason game against Washington.

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. and Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt – Photo by: USA Today

Antoine Winfield Jr. Saw His Stock Drop After A Down Season

The starting and stopping of his availability may have hurt Antoine Winfield Jr. more than we think, as he struggled to find his groove all season. Yet he did contribute as much as he could with 60 tackles, two sacks, three pass breakups, a fumble recovery and a defensive touchdown. It was also the first year of his career where he did not record an interception, but we can chalk that up to the games missed.

Another spot in which the lack of splash plays hurt Winfield came in his overall rankings amongst safeties in the league. Going into last season he was the No. 1-ranked safety, according to ESPN’s rankings that consulted with NFL executives, coaches and scouts. Heading into the 2025 NFL season, Winfield dropped all the way down to No. 7.

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. and ILB Lavonte David – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

It’s not exactly a fall from grace, but certainly an eye-opener at how fast this league moves on from players who have a down season. And with the amount of talent all around the league, it’s difficult to stay the best of the best as each season comes. This is what ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said about Antoine Winfield Jr.

Winfield’s lack of splash in 2024 was noticeable, especially coming off an all-world performance the previous season that earned him a four-year, $84 million contract extension.

Injuries held Winfield to nine games, and he never got in a rhythm of disrupting the football. He finished the season with zero interceptions, 3 pass deflections, 2 sacks and zero forced fumbles. That was a big drop from 2023, when he recorded 6 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries and 3 interceptions.

Bucs CB Jamel Dean, FS Antoine Winfield Jr. and OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“He plays just like his dad [former NFL cornerback Antoine Winfield], great tackler, always around the ball,” an NFL coordinator said. “But with his size mixed with that physicality, you worry about his durability, and that showed up last year.”

Voters are largely willing to give Winfield a pass for last year. After all, he is still in his prime.

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Will Antoine Winfield Jr. Become A Top Safety Again?

It was not mentioned in the write-up that Antoine Winfield Jr. did have a defensive score last season on a fumble recovery he took to the house against the Saints on the road. The players ranked ahead of Winfield were Baltimore’s Kyle Hamilton at No. 1, followed by Detroit’s Brian Branch, Green Bay’s Xavier McKinney, Atlanta’s Jessie Bates III, Detroit’s Kerby Joseph and Los Angeles’ Derwin James Jr. After Winfield was Arizona’s Budda Baker, Miami’s Minkah Fitzpatrick and then Seattle’s Julian Love rounding out the top 10.

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: USA Today

At the end of the day, rankings are subjective, and much of it is based on the performance of last season. An entirely healthy Winfield is still a top three safety at worst, and there’s no reason he can’t get back to that level in 2025 as long as he stays on the field. The Bucs play their free safeties on every snap of the game so there is no question that Winfield is going to be involved in a lot of plays this season.