Buccaneers Predicted to Add ‘Partner’ for $81 Million All-Pro Safety

If you’re looking to point to a specific moment in the season when things went off the rails for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on defense, it would be when NFL All-Pro free safety Antoine Winfield Jr. hurt his ankle in a season-opening win over the Washington Commanders.

Winfield missed the next 4 games then injured his ankle again late in the season and missed the last 4 games of the regular season — all adding up to the worst season of his NFL career. That it came after Winfield signed a record-setting 4-year, $84.1 million contract extension in May 2024 made it sting just a little bit more.

It’s a problem the Buccaneers might be able to avoid in the future.

ESPN’s Field Yates predicted Tampa Bay will address the issue by selecting Georgia safety Malaki Starks with the No. 19 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.

“Tampa Bay allowed the fourth-most passing yards per game last season (243.9) and desperately needs a partner for All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. at the third level of the defense,” Yates wrote. ” … Starks is a versatile, instinctive safety who is willing to help in any phase of the defense. He had plenty of snaps at Georgia covering the deep portion of the field, hovering over the slot and even walking down into the box.”

Starks Starred on One of College Football’s Elite Defenses

Starks started as a true freshman and was second on the Bulldogs in tackles in 2022 as he helped lead his team to a College Football Playoff National Championship.

Starks was a 2-time All-American in 2023 and 2024 as well as a 2-time All-SEC selection

“Three-year starter with reams of high-leverage games on his résumé,” NFL draft analyst Lanc Zierlein wrote. “Starks is a versatile safety with the size and athleticism to eliminate contested catches and the speed and ball skills to shine when the action travels deep.”

Starks, 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, would also help make up for the size advantage some teams have on the Buccaneers with Winfield at just 5-foot-9.

Bleacher Report’s Cory Giddings compared Starks to Atlanta Falcons safety and 2-time NFL All-Pro Jessie Bates in his pre-draft evaluation.

“Starks’ overall skill set and football IQ give him a high ceiling as a defensive playmaker,” Giddings wrote. “With the ability to contribute from day one, Starks is poised to become a key player in any NFL secondary, offering the potential to develop into a Pro Bowl-caliber safety.”

Buccaneers Made Winfield NFL’s Highest Paid Defensive Back

The Buccaneers, however briefly, made Winfield the highest paid defensive back in NFL history.

“Antoine Winfield Jr. is now the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history after he and the Bucs reached agreement on a 4-year, $84.1M deal, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on May 13.. “It’s the first time in modern NFL history that a safety has set this mark.”

Winfield was a second-round pick (No. 45 overall) by the Buccaneers in the 2020 NFL Draft and helped lead the team to a Super Bowl win as a rookie. He earned his first Pro Bowl honor in 2021 despite missing four games with injury and in 2023 established himself as arguably the NFL’s best safety after he started all 17 games and had career highs for tackles (122), pass deflections (12), interceptions (3) and led the NFL with 6 forced fumbles.