TAMPA, Fla. — Antoine Winfield Jr. was named to his first All-Pro team in 2023 and has played like the best safety in the NFL the past few seasons.

Now he will be paid like it.

The Bucs and Winfield agreed to a four-year, $84.1 million contract that makes Winfield the highest-paid defensive back in the NFL.

The agreement allows the Bucs to remove the franchise player designation from Winfield, who was scheduled to earn $17.1 million on a one-year deal. But that was always expected to be a place-holder until the Bucs could strike a long-term deal with the former second-round pick out of Minnesota.

The 5-foot-9, 203-pound Winfield was the Bucs’ biggest playmaker on defense last season, impacting games at all three levels of the defense and filling up stat sheets.

He finished with 122 tackles, 12 passes defensed, eight quarterback hits, six sacks, six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and three interceptions — all career highs.

He had at least a share of the league lead in forced fumbles and fumble recoveries, becoming the only player since Haason Reddick (2022) to accomplished that feat since 2000.

In fact, Winfield is the only player since data became available in 1999 to record 100-plus tackles and at least three interceptions, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries and sacks in a single season.

Bucs general manager Jason Licht said last week that a deal was near. “He wants to be here, we want him. ... He’s the best safety in the league, he should be paid like it,” Licht said on the Pat McAfee Show.

What separates Winfield is his knack for making the game-winning play. Last season, he had a game-sealing interception in a win over Carolina, a sack/forced fumble recovered by the Bucs for a safety in a win at Atlanta and a sack/forced fumble/fumble recovery during the season opener at Minnesota.

“It’s his practice habits,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said earlier this offseason. “The way he takes it from the meeting to the practice field to the game. He really applies it. He practices like he plays. He doesn’t practice to practice. He practices playing the game so when the game comes around, it’s pretty easy for him.”

Signing Winfield to a long-term contract continues a remarkable offseason for the Bucs and Licht.

They were able to lock up their own key free agents, including quarterback Baker Mayfield, receiver Mike Evans and linebacker Lavonte David.

The agreement also will create some salary cap space. Winfield currently is counting $17.123 million on the 2024 payroll. The new agreement is expected to lower his 2024 cap figure to around $7 million, creating about $10 million in space to help sign this year’s draft picks.

Next up? The Bucs would like to reach a long-term agreement with left tackle Tristan Wirfs, who is set to play under the club’s fifth-year option worth $18.2 million.

_____

©2024 Tampa Bay Times. Visit at tampabay.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.