3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers who won’t be back thanks to Mike Evans contract

1. Antoine Winfield Jr. is a top-graded safety for a reason and won't be brought back by Buccaneers

PFF’s highest-graded safety in 2023, Antoine Winfield Jr. has established himself as one of the league’s best defensive backs since being drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Winfield had a spectacular season for the Bucs, logging career-highs in combined tackles (122), pass deflections (12), sacks (6.0), forced fumbles (six), fumble recoveries (four), and interceptions (three), earning All-Pro honors in a contract-year.

What this means is Winfield is going to be looking to cash in on his opportunity to secure a big payday this offseason after enjoying the best season of his career and helping Tampa Bay reach the playoffs, potentially playing himself out of the team’s price range.

Entering his age-26 campaign, Winfield has a calculated market value of $18.4 million annually, according to Spotrac. Winfield’s projected salary would make him the highest-paid safety in the league, which goes to show how rare it is to see teams prioritize paying safeties in today’s NFL.

While Winfield’s on-field production will be nearly impossible to replicate, the Bucs put themselves in a position where they may need to figure out how to do so after throwing a bag at their future Hall of Fame wide receiver.