The Tampa Bay Buccaneers largely managed to put together a strong offseason of work, but the one big situation that is staring them right in the face is Tristan Wirfs and his contract situation. Wirfs wants a new deal, but to this point, there hasn't been much progress towards anything being hammered out.

On Sunday night, reports surfaced that suggested Wirfs and the Buccaneers were not close on coming to an agreement on a new contract extension. Sure enough, when the team showed up to practice on Monday, head coach Todd Bowles announced that while Wirfs is in the building, he won't be participating in any team drills, meaning he will be holding in as he waits for a new deal.

Buccaneers looking to extend Tristan Wirfs' sooner rather than later

Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (78) reacts after a victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 2024 NFC wild card game at Raymond James Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

After getting selected with the 13th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, Wirfs immediately became a day one starter for the Buccaneers, and he has quickly turned himself into one of the top offensive linemen in the league. In just four seasons, Wirfs has already earned three Pro Bowl selections and a pair of All-Pro honors too.

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Wirfs began his career at right tackle, but he moved over to left tackle in 2023 and was just as good. The problem for the Buccaneers is that left tackles make far more money than right tackles, so Wirfs rightfully wants to get a huge extension after he successfully made the switch. While that's likely the main reason he's holding in, Wirfs cited former teammate Ryan Jensen's career-ending injury from training camp two years ago when asked why he was not practicing for the Bucs.

Now that he's holding in, the pressure is going to be on Tampa Bay's front office to see if they can find a way to get a deal done. Wirfs is going to get paid one way or another, and considering how he's in the final year of his rookie deal, the team is going to have an incentive to get something done soon. The longer this goes on, the bigger an issue this will become for the Buccaneers, so it will be well worth keeping an eye on Wirfs as training camp moves forward.