Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs has a Super Bowl ring, three Pro Bowl nods and, now, the title of highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history.
The former first-round pick agreed to a record-breaking, five-year, $140.63 million contract extension on Thursday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal reportedly includes $88.24 million guaranteed.
The extension is in addition to the $18.24 million that Wirfs was already owed via the final year of his rookie contract, so he is now set to be paid $158.87 million over the next six years.
Detroit Lions Pro Bowler Penei Sewell signed the previous largest offensive line deal only three months ago with his four-year, $112 million pact. Wirfs now sits atop the leaderboard in average annual value at $28.1 million, a hair ahead of Sewell’s $28 million and followed by the Minnesota Vikings’ Christian Darrisaw at $26 million.
The deal is also the largest total commitment to any player in Buccaneers history.
All of this is well-deserved by Wirfs, who began his NFL career as an elite right tackle immediately after being selected 13th overall out of Iowa. He won a Super Bowl blocking for Tom Brady in his first season, made All-Pro in his second and moved to the more lucrative left tackle in his fourth.
All of that adds up to a guy you have to pay, and the Bucs certainly did.