Just a couple of months ahead of the deadline in the middle of July, the Bucs and All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. have agreed to terms on a long-term contract extension, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.

This is a four-year deal worth $84.1 million with $45 million of it guaranteed. It makes Winfield the highest-paid defensive back in the league.

The move ensures that Antoine Winfield Jr. will stay with the Bucs for years to come. He entered this offseason as one of five key free agents for Tampa Bay, and he was the most likely candidate for the franchise tag. He was initially tagged while the team prioritized reaching an agreement with prolific receiver Mike Evans, Baker Mayfield, Lavonte David and Chase McLaughlin.

The Bucs could’ve let Winfield play out the 2024 season on the tag, but general manager Jason Licht made it clear all along that signing him on a long-term deal was always the goal. And now, with a deal done a full two months before the July deadline, Winfield will be playing on a lucrative new multi-year contract rather than the one-year franchise tag.

Antoine Winfield Jr. Has Been Critical To Bucs’ Success

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

Antoine Winfield Jr. was a major contributor to the Bucs’ Super Bowl run during his rookie campaign, racking up 94 tackles, three sacks, an interception, six passes defensed, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. That year, he finished fourth in voting for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

He has only grown from there, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2021. In 2022, he then moved to the slot and played well in a new role.

But in 2023, head coach Todd Bowles moved him back to his primary safety position, and it all culminated in a career year.

He set career highs in tackles (122), sacks (six), forced fumbles (six – led the league), fumble recoveries (four), interceptions (three) and passes defensed (12). That earned him his first All-Pro selection and led to a sixth-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He was egregiously snubbed from the Pro Bowl, but the All-Pro honor — and this new contract — should soften the blow.

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Winfield truly became a human highlight reel in 2023 and ascended into the conversation for best safety in the NFL. Initially, he was a part of a stellar 2020 NFL Draft that brought him and All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs on board for what would be the team’s Super Bowl run.

Wirfs is already locked in to the 2024 season on his fifth-year option, though a long-term extension for him is also in the team’s plans sooner rather than later.

Winfield came in fourth in voting for defensive rookie of the year in 2020, earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2021 and this past year was named an All-Pro. For his career, Winfield has 384 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, seven interceptions and eight fumbles recovered.