Let’s talk about Antoine Winfield Jr., shall we?

The more exciting periods of the Bucs offseason are over with, as pre-draft scouting, free agency, the NFL Draft, OTAs and mini-camps are well in the past. What is exciting, though, is that this Bucs Storylines series began when training camp was still weeks and weeks away, and now we’re under one week from Tampa Bay reporting back to the AdventHealth Training Center to start camp and begin preparations for the 2024 season.

There’s still plenty of time to talk storylines for the upcoming season, though, as the regular season doesn’t kick off for another month-plus. So, with that in mind, this series rolls on as we narrow in on some of the Bucs’ biggest stars and go player-by-player to dive into the big storylines that are in store for the 2024 season.

After taking a look at six players on offense (quarterback Baker Mayfield, wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, running back Rachaad White, tight end Cade Otton and left tackle Tristan Wirfs), we flipped over to the defense with nose tackle Vita Vea, defensive lineman Calijah Kancey, outside linebacker Yaya Diaby and inside linebacker Lavonte David. Today, we continue this series with All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

Bucs Storylines: Antoine Winfield Jr.

Here are three big storylines surrounding Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr. in 2024:

What Can Antoine Winfield Jr. Do For An Encore In 2024?

Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. Photo by: USA Today

What can be said about Antoine Winfield Jr.’s 2023 All-Pro season that hasn’t already been said? He was a highlight reel. Touchdown-saving plays, game-sealing turnovers and do-it-all games were plentiful for the Bucs safety last year, and it left him with a case to be at the forefront of the “best safety in the league” conversation.

It wasn’t just the fact that Winfield filled up the stat sheet, which was impressive enough. It was the types of plays he was making and the all-around performances he was putting together week in and week out. He saved multiple touchdowns last year, including two at the goal line, twice hustling to chase down a ball carrier and knock the ball loose and into the end zone for a touchback.

The fact that we saw him make that play on Atlanta quarterback Desmond Ridder in Week 7 was wild enough, but then he made the same type of play on wide receiver DJ Chark in Week 18 in Carolina. That Week 18 play may very well have saved Tampa Bay’s season, too, as the team only won that division-clinching game 9-0. Winfield also had a game-clinching interception in the first Carolina game, as well as a crucial sack-fumble on Ridder in a Week 14 win that turned first place in the NFC South over to the Bucs. When there was a big play to make, it was No. 31 there to make it.

Winfield was rewarded by Tampa Bay this offseason with a new contract that made him not just the highest-paid safety in the NFL, but also the highest-paid defensive back in the league. His four-year, $84.1 million deal keeps him with the Bucs through 2027, and he already has his sights set on getting back to work and being even better than he was before. 

“I’m the type of person [that] I’m never satisfied,” Winfield said. “My goal every season is to [be] better than I was the previous season. Like Coach [Nick] Rapone always says, ‘To much is given, much is expected.’ I know that coming in. I’m going to be better than I was before. I’m going to train harder than I was before.”

So, how can Winfield follow up a season that included 122 tackles (76 solo), six sacks, six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, three interceptions and 12 passes defensed? Well, Winfield’s first goal is to reach 10 takeaways. It’s a goal he fell just short of last year, finishing with nine (a league-leading six forced fumbles and three interceptions). Beyond that, learning more every day and being a better leader, Winfield’s sights are once again set on the ultimate prize in 2024: winning another Super Bowl.

Will Antoine Winfield Jr. Get The Pro Bowl Recognition He Deserves In 2024?

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

There may not have been a more egregious Pro Bowl snub in 2023 than Antoine Winfield Jr. While he was rewarded with a First Team All-Pro selection and a new big-money contract, the lack of Pro Bowl recognition is still insane all of these months later. And as diminished as the Pro Bowl Games are these days in terms of importance, the honor is still viewed as significant.

Right or not, contract negotiations and legacies (for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as an example) still take Pro Bowl selections into account.

Budda Baker was NOT a Pro Bowl-caliber S this year. Not even close.

Antoine Winfield Jr. should press charges for theft.

Baker = 77 tkls, 0 INTs, 0 FFs, 0 FRs, 0 sacks in 11 games

Winfield = 117 tkls, 5 FFs, 4 FRs, 5 sacks, 3 INTs in 16 games

FIX THE PRO BOWL.#GoBucs

— PewterReport 🏴‍☠️ (@PewterReport) January 4, 2024

The lack of a Pro Bowl nod for Winfield in 2023 simply went against all logic. He had the numbers, highlight-reel plays and overall tape to be there in Orlando with the league’s best. The stat and PFF grade comparisons back up the idea that Winfield should’ve made his second Pro Bowl selection in three seasons, but there was also the fact that he was doing things that defensive backs haven’t done for decades.

In early December, Winfield became the first defensive back to record 3.0+ sacks, 3+ forced fumbles and 3+ fumble recoveries in a single season since Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins did it in 2002. Two weeks later, he became the first defensive back since 1999 with 5.0+ sacks and 5+ forced fumbles in a season in addition to being the fourth player since 2000 to record 5.0+ sacks, 5+ takeaways and 5+ forced fumbles in a season. He also made Buccaneer history, as his 122 tackles were the most-ever by a Tampa Bay defensive back. He surpassed the 117 posted by Pro Football Hall of Famer and Bucs Ring of Honor member John Lynch.

So, if he couldn’t get into the Pro Bowl after doing all of that, it’s worth wondering what he has to do to get there in 2024. If he has another standout season for Tampa Bay, will he get his due? We’ve seen Lavonte David continuously snubbed over the years, including a 2013 season that saw him earn All-Pro honors but not a Pro Bowl selection. To this day, he’s stuck on one Pro Bowl and one All-Pro. It’s hard to see the do-it-all safety having the same fate. Bucs fans certainly hope that won’t be the case.

Where Will The Duo Of Antoine Winfield Jr. And Jordan Whitehead Rank In The NFL?

Bucs Ss Jordan Whitehead and Antoine Winfield, Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Antoine Winfield Jr. is walking into a different – but familiar – situation in 2024. After playing alongside the likes of Ryan Neal and Kaevon Merriweather on the back half of the Bucs defense last year, he’ll be playing with someone new in 2024. But it’s not someone completely new, as Tampa Bay brought Jordan Whitehead back this offseason on a two-year deal after he spent two years away with the Jets.

Winfield and Whitehead formed a fantastic safety duo for the Bucs in 2020 and 2021. They’re two players who complement each other so well, and after general manager Jason Licht and Co. let Whitehead leave after the 2021 season, they struggled to replace him in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, the combination of Logan Ryan and Keanu Neal didn’t live up to the hole that Whitehead left. And Ryan Neal couldn’t be the replacement he needed to be in 2023.

So, Licht admitted his mistake this offseason and brought back a player in Whitehead who is the perfect fit for Todd Bowles’ defense – and the perfect partner at safety for Winfield. So, with the duo back together, where will they rank in terms of safety tandems across the NFL in 2024?

Antoine Winfield Jr. on his excitement about getting to play alongside Jordan Whitehead again: pic.twitter.com/bDoUScdZmI

— PewterReport 🏴‍☠️ (@PewterReport) May 20, 2024

Winfield and Whitehead made for an excellent duo in 2020 and 2021, but there’s reason to believe they can be even better in 2024. After all, Winfield was a rookie in 2020 and a second-year player in 2021. And despite the fact that he was very good very early for the Bucs, he’s gotten even better in the last two years, culminating with an All-Pro selection last year. And Whitehead has made strides himself over the last couple of years in New York. He returns to Tampa as a more versatile and overall more developed player.

Bowles certainly has options when it comes to how he deploys his two ace safeties this season, and that should be a scary thought for opposing offensive coordinators. The magic that Winfield and Whitehead made together a few years ago could very well reach a new level in 2024, and that could rank them near the top of the league as far as safety tandems go.