In the least surprising development of the offseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have picked up the fifth-year option on tackle Tristan Wirfs' rookie contract. The deadline to do so was May 1, but there was never any doubt that the Buccaneers would want to extend their association with one of the best first-round picks in franchise history.
Wirfs was the 13th-overall pick in the 2020 draft, and like all first-round selections since the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, his first NFL contract was for four seasons with a fifth-year option the team could execute between his third and fourth seasons. The Buccaneers have now exercised that option on every first-round pick they have made since the arrival of General Manager Jason Licht in 2014.
Wirfs was an immediate starter for the Buccaneers at right tackle and his outstanding rookie season helped the franchise collect its second Super Bowl championship. In his second season, he won Associated Press first-team All-Pro honors and was selected for his first Pro Bowl, becoming the first offensive lineman in team history to attain first-team All-Pro status. Over his first three seasons he has played in and started 52 of a possible 56 games for the Buccaneers and has helped the team rank second in passing yards, third in total yards and fifth in scoring over that span.
The Buccaneers' expected decision to pick up Wirfs' fifth-year option does not preclude the team from signing him to an extension before the end of that five-year deal. Tampa Bay exercised defensive tackle Vita Vea's option between the 2020 and 2021 seasons and then eventually signed him to a new long-term deal in early January of 2022.
