Four-year veteran safety Antoine Winfield Jr received the franchise tag. Winfield, a former second-round pick, spent the entirety of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Buccaneers officially are placing their franchise tag on S Antoine Winfield Jr., but really as a placeholder until the two sides can hammer out a long-term deal that they continue to work on and want to get done, per sources. pic.twitter.com/0DjzQYAvA4
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 5, 2024
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Use Franchise Tag on Antoine Winfield Jr
The 2023 season was yet another campaign for Antoine Winfield. Starting in all 17 games, the former second-round pick recorded three interceptions, six forced fumbles, six sacks, 122 tackles, six tackles-for-loss, and eight quarterback hits. His impressive play was a major driving force behind Tampa Bay’s playoff run, and he was widely considered to be one of the biggest Pro Bowl snubs of 2023. However, despite not making the Pro Bowl, he still earned First-Team All-Pro honors.
Antoine Winfield originally entered the league as a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Minnesota product immediately proved that he belonged in the league. Starting in all 16 games, the rookie finished his inaugural campaign with one interception, two forced fumbles, three sacks, 94 tackles, one tackle-for-loss, and four quarterback hits. This was a great debut on its own, but he topped it off by helping the Buccaneers win the Super Bowl, and he was part of the game’s most iconic images.
Tyreek Hill gave Antoine Winfield Jr. the peace sign in the regular season 👀
Winfield got the last laugh. @brgridiron pic.twitter.com/mCpXSvPcls
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 8, 2021
Winfield proved that this performance wasn’t a one-year fluke in 2021. Starting in all 13 games in which he appeared, the second-year pro continued to build on his promising start. Throughout the season, the safety recorded two interceptions, six passes defended, two forced fumbles, two sacks, 88 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, and three quarterback hits while earning the first Pro Bowl selection of his career.
Winfield followed this up with yet another strong season in 2022. While the Buccaneers themselves took a step back, Winfield remained as reliable as ever with one interception, four sacks, and 80 tackles.
Since signing his rookie contract, Antoine Winfield Jr has recorded seven interceptions, 15 sacks, 384 tackles, 18 tackles-for-loss, and 21 quarterback hits.
