Is Antoine Winfield Jr. In Line For Early Extension From Bucs?

Since he was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Minnesota, Antoine Winfield Jr. has been one of the Bucs’ most important players.

He was a key cog in the team’s Super Bowl-winning defense as a rookie. He then earned his first Pro Bowl nod in 2021 as Tampa Bay went 13-4 and won the NFC South for the first time since 2007. And in 2022, Winfield split time between his normal safety position and the slot, further expanding his versatility and value to the Bucs defense as the unit keyed a division title repeat.

So, after a stellar three-year run to start his career, should Winfield be in line for an early contract extension from the Bucs? He isn’t a free agent until after the 2023 season, but Pro Football Focus recently named him as a young defensive player who deserves an early extension.

Antoine Winfield Jr. Truly Has Earned The Big Pay Day That’s Coming

Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: USA Today

You can’t argue against the idea that Winfield deserves that extension already. As Jonathon Macri wrote for PFF, no safety has produced more Wins Above Replacement (WAR) since 2020 than Winfield has (1.21).

“Winfield’s versatility makes him arguably the most important piece on Tampa Bay’s defense, as he can not only excel in his typical deep safety role but also continues to add value as a run defender, earning a 91.0 run defense grade since 2020 that ranks third among all safeties. His ability to rush the passer has also been a significant asset, as his 90.5 pass-rush grade ranks third among safeties since 2020, tallying nine sacks (second) and 22 total pressures (11th) on just over 100 pass-rush attempts.

“Winfield’s role continued to evolve this past season as the team utilized him as its primary slot defender on 54% of his regular season defensive snaps. The former second-round pick faced 34 targets when lining up as a slot defender and allowed an open target on just 47.1% of those plays, which ranked inside the top-20 defensive backs with at least 75 snaps in that role.”

So, given that Winfield deserves it, will the Bucs work on a new deal with him this offseason? Macri wrote about how the time may be now, especially with some potential turnover on the Tampa Bay defense.

Bucs DB Antoine Winfield, Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“With key defensive players such as Dean and Lavonte David pending free agents this offseason, Tampa Bay may have to turn its focus to Winfield for the future. David, specifically, has been a captain of the Buccaneers’ defense every year since 2014, but with a potential changing of the guard in Tampa, there is no better suitor to carry on that role for the foreseeable future than Winfield.”

David has since said that he wants to retire a Buccaneer, but most of the point still stands. Winfield is part of the defense’s core for the future, so the Bucs will want to lock him up long term. Another member of that defensive core, Vita Vea, signed an early contract extension with the team in 2021 before he was set to play on the fifth-year option that had already been exercised.

As a second-round pick, Winfield doesn’t have a fifth-year option, so 2023 currently stands as a contract year for the former Minnesota Golden Gopher.

Assessing The Likelihood Of An Early Contract Extension For Antoine Winfield Jr.

Bucs S Antoine Winfield, Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Even after earning a raise for the upcoming season, Winfield’s cap hit for 2023 is a very manageable number, coming in right around $3.7 million (per OverTheCap.com). Given the Bucs are about $55 million over the cap heading into this offseason, they’d presumably like to keep the number that low.

Given the latest with Tom Brady’s retirement paperwork and the potential for the Bucs to be on the hook for his full cap hit in 2023, the team may shift toward “paying off the credit card” this season. If that happens, it sets up a lot more freedom with the cap in 2024. That’s freedom Tampa Bay will need, especially since Devin White, Tristan Wirfs and Winfield — three members of the team’s young core — will soon need new deals.

When he wrote about Winfield’s CBA-mandated raise, Pewter Report cap expert Josh Queipo outlined the immediate future for Winfield in Tampa, mentioning both the possibility of a franchise tag in 2024 and the potential for a new contract.

“And while Antoine Winfield Jr. is set to be an unrestricted free agent following this upcoming season, the Bucs would still have the option to franchise tag him for a slightly more palatable number (currently, the franchise tag for safeties is projected to be $14,472,000 in 2023 and will most likely go up in 2024). All this is to say this raise in salary for Winfield is the first in what should be a regular line of increases over the next few years. No matter whether it is a franchise tag or a long-term contract, expect the to be suiting up for the Bucs in 2024 and beyond.”

If the Bucs work out a contract extension with Winfield now and it comes with a signing bonus, proration would begin immediately. However, if the team is, in fact, taking a hit this year and paying off the credit card from the 2020-2022 window, it would set up a roster bonus for Winfield in 2024 that could prorate starting then.

Theoretically, the Bucs could try to keep Winfield’s 2023 cap hit around where it is now and have the big money from an extension kick in next year and beyond. But the fourth-year safety is surely going to want some of that cash sooner rather than later, which could impact that low cap number this year and further complicate the situation the Bucs are in this offseason.

So, while he may deserve it and there’s certainly the potential for an early contract extension this offseason, it may make more sense for the Bucs to wait on it.

Nonetheless, Antoine Winfield Jr. should be in red and pewter for a long time.