The offseason is here and it’s already been a big one for Bucs left tackle Tristan Wirfs, who is fresh off his third straight Pro Bowl. But that was just the start. Wirfs will be a father for the first time in March, and will receive a massive jump in pay in 2024 – either on his fifth-year option or on a lucrative contract extension that will reset the tackle market.

It’s Tristan Wirfs’ world – we’re just living in it, folks! With that said, this entire SR’s Fab 5 column revolves around Wirfs, the most talented Buccaneer and the best offensive lineman in franchise history. Enjoy!

FAB 1. Tristan Wirfs Already Motivated To Have An Even Better 2024 Season

Tristan Wirfs made his third straight Pro Bowl this year, but only due to the fact that San Francisco’s Trent Williams will be playing in the Super Bowl against Kansas City on Sunday. Wirfs certainly didn’t mind going to Orlando by default and enjoyed his Pro Bowl experience, especially drinking beers with teammate Baker Mayfield and watching him win the Offensive MVP award.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and LT Tristan Wirfs at 2024 Pro Bowl – Photo by: USA Today

Even as a replacement, the Pro Bowl honors count and go on Wirfs’ resume.

Yet that’s not how he wanted to go to the Pro Bowl, and Wirfs wants to get back to his All-Pro status, as he was first-team in 2021 and second-team in 2022.

The fact that the Pro Bowl and All-Pro lists came out and he wasn’t on either list was upsetting to the Bucs’ most talented player.

“Oh yeah, absolutely,” Wirfs said. “Just use it as motivation for next year. It’s kind of like a double-edged sword. It’s nice to get that recognition, at the same time I just want the team to be great. I just want everyone to be balling. But I think I used that as a guide this year to how well I was doing or wasn’t doing. I was like ‘Okay, if I if I make the Pro Bowl then the switch was okay – then I did it. And I was kind of upset with myself for a little bit when it came out. I was like, ‘Damn it! I fell short.’

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

“But then at the same time I was like, ‘I was doing my best to play to a level that I was proud of.’ And that’s what I told all the guys. If we go out every Sunday and play to a level that that you’re proud of, then we’ll be all right. I’ve tried using that as kind of a guide instead of getting a recognition for something, but I’ll definitely use it as motivation for next year.”

Wirfs was legitimately worried about making a successful transition from being one of the league’s best right tackles to switching to left tackle prior to the start of the 2023 season. So much so that he sought some counseling to help ease his nerves.

In reality, Wirfs may have been the only one on the planet who was unsure of how he would transition from right tackle to left tackle this past year. But after making a near seamless switch to protecting Mayfield’s blindside and getting his hand placement and footwork down over 17 weeks, Wirfs is poised to have an even better second season at left tackle.

“I know it’s not the way he wanted to go out, but he’s going to ride off into the sunset and go to Colorado and live out his days,” Wirfs said. “Ryan’s an incredible person. I love him to death and he’s going to have a great retirement.

FAB 2. Tristan Wirfs May Get A Contract Extension This Offseason

When the Bucs picked up Tristan Wirfs’ fifth-year option last offseason, it was the most no-brainer move general manager Jason Licht has made since trading up one spot to secure Wirfs in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: USA Today

Wirfs is set to play the 2024 season for $18.244 million, which is a massive pay raise from making $2,822,914 in base salary in 2023. His salary cap hit last year was $5,163,464, as it included prorated signing bonus money.

When asked about the prospects of playing on his fifth-year option versus Tampa Bay possibly signing him to a long-term contract extension this offseason, Wirfs was a bit confused.

“I’m still learning how that works,” Wirfs admitted. “So they picked up my fifth year, so I’m still under contract, right?”

The fact that Wirfs wasn’t completely aware of how the fifth-year option works simply means he doesn’t really care how much he’s getting paid in 2024. He just wants to play football in Tampa Bay.

Wirfs and the Bucs can still work on getting a new contract done this offseason, despite the fact that he’s slated to play on his fifth-year option. And they may need to.

Although the Bucs appear to be flush with salary cap space heading into free agency with roughly $36.9 million in cap room before any cap cuts or restructures, according to OverTheCap.com, Tampa Bay has several major free agents who will command big contracts to get re-signed. So that cap space will get gobbled up pretty quickly by the Bucs’ own re-signings.

Pro Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield should command north of $30 million per year, while Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans could fetch $25 million or more annually in free agency.

Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs and Jaguars DE Josh Allen – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

All-Pro free agent Antoine Winfield Jr. is likely to reset the market for safeties and make $20 million per year. The Bucs may have to use the franchise tag, which would be $17.22 million, on Winfield instead, just to save a few million dollars in cap space.

That’s not including new deals for kicker Chase McLaughlin and linebacker Lavonte David, either.

As a result, the Bucs may need to sign Wirfs to an extension to lower his projected $18.244 million cap hit in 2024. Josh Queipo, Pewter Report’s resident salary cap expert, projects Wirfs will reset the tackle market with a five-year, $135 million deal. That’s $27 million per year, which is more than Houston’s Laremy Tunsil makes at $25 million per year.

Queipo expects Wirfs to receive $75 million in fully guaranteed money, which would be more than New York’s Andrew Thomas received with his $67 million in guaranteed money on his new deal. Thomas, who was selected a few spots ahead of Wirfs in the 2020 first round, earns $23.5 million per season.

The Bucs picked up the fifth-year option of Vita Vea’s contract for the 2022 season, but the Pro Bowl defensive tackle never played on it. Vea signed a big contract extension before the end of the 2021 campaign.

Conversely, middle linebacker Devin White was forced to play on his fifth-year option because the team was reluctant to extend his contract due to inconsistent play the previous season. Wirfs is as consistent as they come, and he will receive a massive contract extension. It’s only a matter of when.

“Yeah, I’m fine with whatever happens,” Wirfs said. “I like being here. I’m not too worried about it. [Iowa] Coach [Kirk] Ferentz always said, ‘Your film is your resumé, so I just try my best to play good football.”

FAB 3. Tristan Wirfs Played Through Injuries, May Have Offseason Surgery

Offensive linemen don’t have official statistics. Pro Football Focus does their best to grade offensive line play, and despite dealing with two major injuries and allowing a career-high five sacks in 2023, Tristan Wirfs earned an 83.5 grade in his first season at left tackle. That was actually better than his 2022 83.1 PFF grade when he made his second Pro Bowl and was a second-team All-Pro.

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

Wirfs’ best season in terms of PFF grades was in 2021 when he made first-team All-Pro and his first Pro Bowl while earning an 84.3 grade. As a rookie, Wirfs entered the league as a dominant player with an 84.1 grade.

So the fact that Wirfs played so well despite a nagging ankle injury and a separated shoulder is quite remarkable. After the season, Wirfs talked to Pewter Report about playing through his injuries.

“They were tough,” Wirfs said. “I’ve had ankle stuff for the past two years. We might look into it this offseason to see if there’s anything that can be done. It was tough there for a while.”

Wirfs hinted that he may consider a surgical procedure on his ankle this offseason if it warrants it.

“Just to get another opinion,” Wirfs said. “Just to see what somebody thinks.”

As painful as that was, Wirfs said his late-season shoulder injury was even worse.

“Then I had a separated shoulder for four weeks,” Wirfs said when the Bucs’ season concluded after the playoff loss to the Lions. “That was no fun. It is what it is. Everybody’s got something. I hurt it in the Saints game on that last interception. I tackled the guy and I landed right on it and separated my shoulder. These last four weeks sleeping on it have not be fun. Now I’ll get some rest.”

FAB 4. It’s Tristan Wirfs’ Offensive Line

While Tristan Wirfs didn’t make the All-Pro list this year nor was he voted to the Pro Bowl, there was one individual distinction that he received that he was thrilled about. Wirfs became a team captain for the first time, which is something he really wanted to be heading into the 2023 season.

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

During Pewter Report’s Tristan Wirfs‘ Training Camp Diary, the Iowa product shared with me that he felt he was ready to be a team captain this season.

“I would absolutely love to be a team captain,” Wirfs said in August. “I was never a team captain in college. I’ve always wanted to be a team captain – be that guy, especially in college – but it’s always a legacy thing for the seniors [at Iowa]. Here I’m trying to step up into more of a leadership role where guys can lean on me.

“If I have to get guys going, I’ll get them going. These past three years I’ve shown up and did my job. But in conversations I’ve had, people have wanted me to step up more. So I’m ready to be here for whoever needs me in whatever role they need me to be. I want to help all these guys win ball games and be here for them.”

Before this season, Wirfs was always reluctant to take on a leadership role and be more vocal. Pro Bowl left guard Ali Marpet was a team captain his first two seasons in Tampa Bay and Wirfs followed his lead. Marpet abruptly retired after the 2021 season, but the team still had Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen to lead the offensive line.

But Jensen went down with a season-ending knee injury on the second day of training camp in 2022 and Wirfs was forced to step up and lead the unit despite being just 23 years old. As a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro, Wirfs was the most talented and decorated offensive lineman the Bucs had.

After a transition year in which he became more vocal and was the de facto leader of the offensive line in Jensen’s absence, Wirfs was ready to be a team captain in 2023. With his credentials and his gregarious personality it was a no-brainer that Wirfs was going to wear the “C” on his chest this past season.

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

“Yeah, at the beginning of the year I was still very nervous about it,” Wirfs said. “If I talked to the team I would get on a ramble because I had so many thoughts that I wanted to get out and they were all coming out at the same time.

“As the season went on I settled in and I felt more comfortable. Having that ‘C’ [on my chest] was one of the best feelings in the world. I had never been a team captain before. To be able to get that made me really proud.”

I, too, am proud of Wirfs. I’ve had a few encouraging conversations with him over the past two years telling him that this is his offensive line and that he’s been ready to lead for a while now. I’m very happy for him that it all manifested this season and that he became a team captain – and a fine one at that.

Not only will Wirfs be a Pro Bowler and All-Pro for years to come in Tampa Bay, he’ll also continue to wear that “C” on his chest as a perennial team captain. Even at the age of 25, it’s now Wirfs’ offensive line and it will be that way until he retires in red and pewter.

FAB 5. Tristan Wirfs Was The Bucs’ Best O-Lineman – By A Wide Margin

There is no doubt that the arrival of future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady and future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski helped pave the way for the Bucs winning Super Bowl LV in 2020. But the Bucs’ dominant offensive line was also a major reason for Brady’s first season in Tampa Bay ended with a world championship.

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

The Bucs offensive line was healthy for almost the entire season and featured elite play from center Ryan Jensen, left guard Ali Marpet and right tackle Tristan Wirfs, who had a remarkable rookie campaign. Left tackle Donovan Smith played his best and most consistent football over the final eight games of the year, including the postseason, and left guard Alex Cappa was the only offensive lineman to not surrender a sack that season.

In order for the Bucs to get back to the Super Bowl and win a third championship, it will need to find a few more elite linemen to pair with Wirfs, who is one of the game’s best left tackles. Luke Goedeke has shown some promise after his first season at his more natural right tackle position. Cody Mauch is quite an athletic interior lineman, who plays the game with passion and aggression. He has massive potential to be a very good guard or center.

But in addition to Goedeke and Mauch needing to improve, the Bucs must find two upgrades at center and left guard. Here is a look at the Pro Football Focus grades for Tampa Bay’s offensive line last year, which illustrates this point.

PFF Pass Blocking Grades – 2023
Bucs Starters
LT Tristan Wirfs – 86.1
RT Luke Goedeke – 72.5
C Robert Hainey – 57.3
LG Aaron Stinnie – 53.7
RG Cody Mauch – 52.1
Bucs Reserves
OT Justin Skule – 79.2 (extra tight end)
LG Matt Feiler – 65.0

PFF Run Blocking Grades – 2023
Bucs Starters
LT Tristan Wirfs – 73.8
RT Luke Goedeke – 70.0
LG Aaron Stinnie – 58.9
C Robert Hainsey – 50.3
RG Cody Mauch – 37.6
Bucs Reserves
LG Matt Feiler – 52.2

PFF Sacks Allowed – 2023
RG Cody Mauch – 8 sacks
RT Luke Goedeke – 6 sacks
C Robert Hainsey – 5 sacks
LT Tristan Wirfs – 5 sacks
LG Aaron Stinnie – 3 sacks

PFF Pressures Allowed – 2023
RG Cody Mauch – 57 pressures
RT Luke Goedeke – 44 pressures
C Robert Hainsey – 33 pressures
LG Aaron Stinnie – 32 pressures
LT Tristan Wirfs – 24 pressures
LG Matt Feiler – 12 pressures

Bucs Penalties – 2023
RT Luke Goedeke – 12 (3 declined/offsetting) – 5 false starts, 7 holding
C Robert Hainsey – 9 (1 declined/offsetting) – 4 false start, 2 holding, 3 ineligible downfield
LT Tristan Wirfs – 6 (0) – 6 false starts
RG Cody Mauch – 5 (1 declined/offsetting) – 4 holding, 1 ineligible downfield
LG Aaron Stinnie – 4 (0) – 2 false starts, 1 ineligible downfield, 1 holding
LG Matt Feiler – 2 (0) – 2 false starts

Bucs Snaps Played – 2023
RG Cody Mauch – 1,236
C Robert Hainsey – 1,236
LT Tristan Wirfs – 1,232
RT Luke Goedeke – 1,232
LG Aaron Stinnie – 850
LG Matt Feiler – 386

Conclusions: The Bucs are very high on Mauch despite his low PFF grades. A year in the weight room working on his core strength and building up his lower body will definitely help increase his power in the run game and allow him to anchor better in pass protection.

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

Mauch told me he plans to use this offseason to transform his body from that of a left tackle in college to that of a guard in the NFL. Cappa went through a similar transition after his rookie year and he made huge strides as the Bucs’ left guard as a result. In 2024, Mauch needs to make a similarly big jump in improvement like Goedeke made in his second season.

Goedeke needs to cut his penalties in half. He must work on his footwork, especially handling inside pass rush moves, to reduce his number of holding penalties. Better concentration at the line of scrimmage will also allow him to cut back on his false starts. Goedeke was clearly the second-best offensive lineman in Tampa Bay and needs to continue to ascend.

The majority of Wirfs’ pressures and sacks allowed occurred during the second half of the season when he was dealing with an ankle injury and a separated shoulder in December and January. He also needs to limit the pre-snap penalties and stay on the snap count better in 2024. Doing both will allow him to return to the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro list with ease this year.