Buccaneers’ Safety’s Contract Ranked Most ‘Player-Friendly’ Deal originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
After an incredible 2023 that earned him a First-Team All-Pro nod and a sixth-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year honors, Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. suffered a setback in 2024, mainly due to injuries.
The former second-round pick in 2020 earned a record four-year, $84.1 million deal after posting a career-high 122 total tackles with 76 solo and six for loss, while adding eight QB hits, a league-high six forced fumbles and six sacks in 2023.
Even while dealing with calf and knee injuries last season, and appearing in just nine games, Winfield still managed 60 tackles with 34 solo and four QB hits to go along with two sacks.
But it’s the contract that’s grabbed the attention of ESPN’s Dan Graziano. Graziano named Winfield’s contract the most “player-friendly” deal for any safety in the league.
“Winfield is the league’s second-highest paid safety by average annual salary, just slightly behind [Kerby] Joseph. But the rest of the deal is great for Winfield in comparison,” Dan Graziano wrote. “Winfield got a $20 million roster bonus in 2024 and fully guaranteed salaries of $4 million in 2024 and $21 million in 2025.
“He’s sure to make $45 million over the first two years of the deal and would make $64.5 million over the first three if he stays in Tampa Bay. It’s strong money, given the rest of the safety market.”
Winfield Jr. and the Buccaneers hope to rebound from a disappointing playoff performance last season when they were ousted by the visiting Washington Commanders in the Wild Card round.
A healthy Winfield Jr. will go a long way to accomplish that.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.