Young Safety Becomes the Highest-Paid Defensive Back in the NFL

The Buccaneers have locked up their young star safety of the future by signing Antoine Winfield Jr. to a mega deal. The deal is a four-year $84.1 million deal with $45 million guaranteed making him not only the highest-paid safety but also the highest-paid defensive back in the NFL. After initially franchise-tagging Winfield Jr., the Buccaneers were finally able to come to agree to a long-term deal that will help keep their young defensive star on the roster for the next few years.

The Buccaneers are coming off a 9-8 2023 campaign in which they won the NFC South but ended up narrowly losing to the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. As the Buccaneers look toward next season, the NFC South continues to be up for grabs, and they knew that with an aging front seven defensively that keeping their best young defensive player regardless of their position was an important need for the Buccaneers to secure.

This was a well-deserved contract extension following Antoine Winfield Jr.’s dominant 2023 season in which he had 122 tackles, six sacks, six forced fumbles, and three interceptions earning him a prestigious first-team All-Pro selection. Rarely do teams find a safety who can impact the game the way that Antoine Winfield has done throughout his first four seasons in the league so giving him an extension will be well worth it for both sides over the next few years.