Winfield and the Buccaneers agreed to terms Monday on a four-year, $81.1 million contract Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Winfield's contract total of $81.1 million is not only the highest figure for a defensive back in NFL history, but Schefter reports that his deal's $45 million guaranteed his also the largest such sum to be earned by a safety. Tampa Bay placed the $17.1 million franchise tag on Winfield back in March, but that transaction was always a placeholder for long-term negotiations. The Buccaneers will pay a high price to keep the the All-Pro safety in town, proof of Winfield's position as an irreplaceable pillar of the team's secondary. He piled up a career-high 122 tackles (76 solo) across 17 regular-season games in 2023, to go with six sacks, three interceptions, 12 passes defensed, six forced fumbles and four fumbles recovered.
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Winfield and the Buccaneers agreed to terms Monday on a four-year, $81.1 million contract Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Winfield's contract total of $81.1 million is not only the highest figure for a defensive back in NFL history, but Schefter reports that his deal's $45 million guaranteed his also the largest such sum to be earned by a safety. Tampa Bay placed the $17.1 million franchise tag on Winfield back in March, but that transaction was always a placeholder for long-term negotiations. The Buccaneers will pay a high price to keep the the All-Pro safety in town, proof of Winfield's position as an irreplaceable pillar of the team's secondary. He piled up a career-high 122 tackles (76 solo) across 17 regular-season games in 2023, to go with six sacks, three interceptions, 12 passes defensed, six forced fumbles and four fumbles recovered.
The Buccaneers placed their franchise tag on Winfield on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Winfield's franchise tag positions him to earn $17.1 million to play for Tampa Bay on a one-year deal for the 2024 season, but he and the Buccaneers are reportedly using it as a bridge to come to terms on a true long-term extension, negotiations which both sides have until mid-July to complete. Across 17 regular-season games in 2023, the All-Pro safety recorded 122 tackles (76 solo), six sacks, three interceptions, 12 passes defensed, six forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
Winfield managed a double-digit tackle total for the second straight game and the third time this season in Week 12. He's on pace for the first 100-tackle season of his career, but he'll probably spend a lot of time defending against the pass in Week 13 versus the Panthers.
Winfield led the team in total tackles with three solo and three assisted tackles throughout the outing Sunday, and capped off his performance with an interception late in the fourth quarter and returned it for 28 yards. The 25-year-old safety has proven to be the team's leading safety with 573 team snaps compared to Ryan Neal's 424, but he enters a tough Week 11 matchup against the 49ers and their dynamic pass catchers.