Buccaneers’ All-Pro Safety Tabbed to Land in Los Angeles During Free Agency

Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ stud, all-star safety Antoine Winfield Jr. has cemented himself as one of the best safeties in the league this season. Winfield Jr. has played at an All-Pro level and should be a shoo-in to make the Pro Bowl this season as well.

Tweeze has been a leader on the defensive side of the ball - letting his play on the field speak the loudest. Thus far into the season, Winfield Jr. has been graded out as the top safety in the league in overall defense (91.4) according to PFF, and he also leads all safeties in pass-rush grade (92.8) and run defense (92.5).

Winfield Jr. is not only grading out extremely well, but the stats are also backing this up as he has compiled 110 total tackles, 5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, and 3 interceptions.

That is good.

This season has been a contract year for the former 2020 second-round pick out of Minnesota and he is earning every bit of what he is going to get paid this off-season.

With his stock rising, free agency is ahead for Winfield Jr. following the season and although it seemingly appears as if the Buccaneers will do whatever it takes to retain him, things can always change.

According to Bleacher Report, one location that would make sense as a landing spot for Winfield Jr. would be with another NFC team - the Los Angeles Rams.

“With Jordan Fuller and John Johnson about to hit free agency, Los Angeles will likely be looking for a new safety in the offseason. Antoine Winfield Jr. will be one of the top players available at the position and an upgrade over Fuller and Johnson.

Heading into the weekend, the former Pro Bowler had earned elite grades from Pro Football Focus nearly across the board. Coverage was the only area in which he fell short of the mark, by just one point, and quarterbacks had a 51.2 passer rating when targeting him.

Also, Spotrac estimates that the Rams will begin the spring with about $45.7 million in cap space to help make this pairing happen.”

There is no doubt that AWJ will get his when it comes to his first non-rookie NFL contract, the question will be what kind of money a team is willing to throw at him.

The bigger picture for the Bucs is if they can guarantee that Winfield Jr. is their building block on the defensive side of the ball while also opening up their pockets no matter the asking price.