Antoine Winfield Jr., Bucs Agree to 4-Year, $84.1M Contract; NFL Record for Safety

Antoine Winfield Jr. will remain a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the foreseeable future.

The safety and the only NFL team he has ever known agreed to terms on a four-year, $84.1 million deal on Monday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. He becomes the highest-paid player ever at the position.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on March 5 that Tampa Bay placed the tag on him, which Spotrac noted was worth $17.1 million.

However, it was only a stopgap move. ESPN's Jenna Laine reported at the time the team was still "attempting to work out a deal with Winfield and will use this as a placeholder for a long-term contract."

Such a maneuver also worked out for the Buccaneers when they tagged wide receiver Chris Godwin ahead of the 2022 season and then reached an agreement on a longer deal later in the offseason.

They were able to repeat those efforts with Winfield, which is excellent news for the team after he turned in an incredible season in 2023.

Winfield finished the campaign with 122 tackles, 12 passes defended, six sacks, a league-best six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and three interceptions. Those efforts landed him on the First-Team All-Pro and underscored his ability to make plays all over the field as someone who can support against the run, play passes in the air and blitz the quarterback from the secondary.

His efforts as a team captain were a major reason Tampa Bay won the NFC South.

While those were largely career-best numbers across the board, Winfield has consistently lived up to and exceeded expectations since the Buccaneers selected him in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft.

He helped lead the team to a Lombardi Trophy as a rookie and even intercepted Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. He was then a Pro Bowler in his second season and turned the corner to become even more dominant by 2023.

Tampa Bay surely expects that type of play to continue, which was a driving force in its decision to sign him to a long-term deal.