Buccaneers’ $140 Million ‘Gold Jacket’ OT Favorite to Make NFL History

There has always been a certain “you just know when you see it” quality about Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs.

Like how we just knew Wirfs was a first round pick when we watched him play at the University of Iowa. Like how we knew he was a star in the making when we watched him lead the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win as a rookie.

Like how, for the past few years, every time Wirfs played it looked like someone who would eventually make his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day.

Wirfs will have another chance to add an accolade that could help his Canton case in 2025. That’s because the NFL will give out a “Protector of the Year Award” to honor the league’s best offensive lineman for the first time.

It’s safe to say Wirfs, a 3-time NFL All-Pro and the highest paid offensive lineman in NFL history, will be one of the favorites.

“NFL executive Troy Vincent announces a new end-of-the-year award — ‘Protector of the Year’ — to recognize best offensive lineman each year,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account on May 21. “Credit to Dion Dawkins and others for championing this cause.”

Wirfs Already One of Franchise’s All Time Greats

You can make a case that were Wirfs to never play another game in the NFL, he’d at the very least wind up in Tampa Bay’s Ring of Honor.

That Wirfs is just 26 years old and entering his sixth NFL season — ostensibly entering his prime — means there’s still a lot more to come.

In 2024, Wirfs became the first player in NFL history to earn NFL All-Pro honors as both a left offensive tackle and right offensive tackle. Through his first 5 seasons, Wirfs is a 4-time Pro Bowler and 3-time All-Pro, along with being a Super Bowl champion.

The Buccaneers have never missed the playoffs with Wirfs on the roster.

“It’s safe to say that after five NFL seasons, Bucs left tackle Tristan Wirfs is on his way to earning a gold jacket and an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Pewter Report’s Matt Matera wrote on May 22. “There’s still a long ways to go and plenty of football to be played by Tristan Wirfs, but it’s been an eventful start.”

Buccaneers Dropped the Bag on Wirfs

The Buccaneers showed Wirfs exactly what they thought of him when they made him the highest paid offensive lineman in NFL history when he signed a 5-year, $140.6 million contract extension on August 1, 2024. Wirfs’ deal included a $25 million signing bonus and $88.4 million in guaranteed money.

That buys a lot of pancake blocks.

“The Buccaneers announced the five-year extension Thursday,” wrote ESPN’s Jenna Laine wrote on August 1. “The team did not disclose the value of the deal but confirmed that Wirfs received the largest deal for an NFL offensive tackle and the largest in Buccaneers history. Wirfs, a three-time Pro Bowler, was in the final year of his rookie contract and slated to play under the fifth-year option that paid $18.24 million this year. He now is contractually tied to Tampa Bay through 2029.”