Getty Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have what plenty of NFL teams would give their right arms to have — multiple veteran stars on both sides of the ball.
That roster strength was reflected in Pro Football Network’s Top 100 NFL Players of 2024 list, as three Buccaneers grabbed spots with safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (No. 26), offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (No. 30) and wide receiver Mike Evans (No. 74).
Winfield and Evans both landed massive paydays in the offseason.
Winfield Jr. became the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history with a four-year, $84.1 million contract extension that included $45 million in guaranteed money. Evans set an NFL record in 2023 with his 10th consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season and received a two-year, $41 million contract.
Wirfs’ eventual payday could dwarf both deals — Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton projected Wirfs to receive a five-year, $140 million contract extension with $70 million in guaranteed money “in the coming months.”
“At 25, Wirfs has a distinguishable accomplishment that separates him from his peers: He’s an All-Pro and Pro Bowler at right and left tackle,” Moton wrote in May. “Because of Wirfs’ high-level performances at both tackle spots, he should be in line to top Trent Williams — who’s entering his age-36 term — on the position pay ladder.”
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes took the No. 1 spot on the list. Winfield Jr. and Wirfs were the two highest ranked players from the NFC South.
Buccaneers Managed to Keep Nucleus Intact
One of the Buccaneers’ major accomplishments in the offseason was keeping their nucleus intact and adding value, outside of the contracts for Winfield and Evans, to the roster.
Along with signing Winfield Jr. and Evans, the Buccaneers also brought back quarterback Baker Mayfield on a three-year, $100 million contract after he made his first Pro Bowl in 2023 and led Tampa Bay to a third consecutive NFC South title.
One of Tampa Bay’s biggest moves in the offseason came in the NFL draft, where they drafted what seems to be a plug-and-play starter in Duke’s Graham Barton, who is projected to be the team’s starting center.
Tampa Bay Players Left Off the Rankings?
There were a few players on Tampa Bay’s roster who could have made a case for being in PFN’s Top 100 but were left off the list.
On offense, veteran wide receiver Chris Godwin has had three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and didn’t make the list. On defense, tackle Vita Vea is one of the NFL’s most dominant players at his position but didn’t make it.
Tampa Bay also has several younger players who could play their way into the Top 100 rankings in 2025. On offense, the leading candidate (other than Mayfield) is probably third-year running back Rachaad White, who had over 1,500 yards of total offense in 2023.
On defense, the player most likely to make the leap is second-year outside linebacker YaYa Diaby, a third-round pick out of Louisville in 2023 who led the Buccaneers with 7.5 sacks as a rookie.
Probably the most remarkable stat from Diaby’s rookie campaign? He was able to lead Tampa Bay in sacks while making just seven starts and playing just 46% of the team’s defensive snaps.