Super Bowl LV Champion Safety Franchise-Tagged by the Bucs

Over the past four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense, safety Antoine Winfield Jr. has been unbelievable since making his NFL debut in 2020. In just his second season Winfield Jr. was named to his first Pro Bowl game, and with six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady at the helm at quarterback, Tampa Bay went all the way advancing to Super Bowl LV, which they would win when they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9. After four great seasons, the 25-year-old safety hit the free-agent market for the first time in his career. It was just announced that Antoine has been franchise-tagged by the Bucs.

Winfield Jr. played four years at the University of Minnesota before declaring for the NFL Draft in 2020. At the University of Minnesota, Antoine had over 120 solo tackles in his four years. In his final season at school, the Super Bowl LV champion safety had seven interceptions in just 12 games. He was selected in the second round with the 45th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Tampa Bay is lucky to have this 25-year-old safety as he dawns the years of his prime. 

Last season, Antoine played in all 17 games. He recorded 122 combined tackles, 76 of those being solo tackles, while the other 46 were assisted. Winfield Jr. also had six tackles for loss of yardage, six sacks, 12 pass deflections, and three interceptions. One of his best games of the season was on November 19th against the San Francisco 49ers. During a 27-14 loss, the Super Bowl LV champion safety had 16 combined tackles, nine of those being solo tackles, and seven of them being assisted.