Buccaneers Place Franchise Tag On Antoine Winfield Jr

Buccaneers Place Franchise Tag On Antoine Winfield Jr

The Buccaneers already successfully kept Mike Evans. Now they have done the same with Antoine Winfield Jr. The Franchise Tag deadline is today and Tampa Bay used the provision on the superstar safety.

Adam Schefter at ESPN was the first to report the news:

Buccaneers officially are placing their franchise tag on S Antoine Winfield Jr., but really as a placeholder until the two sides can hammer out a long-term deal that they continue to work on and want to get done, per sources. pic.twitter.com/0DjzQYAvA4

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 5, 2024

Winfield, 25, notched six sacks and three interceptions while forcing a league-leading six fumbles in 2023. He was also selected to the first team All-Pro spot at the safety position. He’s as good as it gets in the NFL and is not a player that Tampa Bay could afford to lose.

The tag for Winfield Jr is expected to come in at $17.123 million in 2024. A high price to pay for a safety but the production speaks for itself. He registered 122 tackles, which was the 4th best mark as a defensive back. That’s without the ball-hawking ability. Winfield Jr has been a hit since the Bucs selected him in the second round of the NFL Draft four years ago.

His father, Antoine Winfield Sr., was a hell of a player in his own right. Winfield Sr. had a very long career as a defensive back with the Minnesota Vikings many years ago.

2020 NFL Draft Grades: NFC South

All eyes now turn to Baker Mayfield. Will Tampa Bay pony up to keep him or will there be a new quarterback under center in 2024? The Bucs did their part in keeping the superstar players in the building. It’s now time to figure out what they’re doing at quarterback.

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