Tampa Bay three-time Pro Bowl tackle Tristan Wirfs is sitting out team drills during training camp while waiting to strike a new deal with the Buccaneers.
Wirfs participated in individual sessions Monday but sat out 11-on-11 drills, limiting his practice as part of his “sit-in” while the sides negotiate an extension.
“Obviously, it would have been nice for it to be done already but that’s part of the business that I’m still learning about,” Wirfs told reporters Monday. “It’s all been good. I was here all offseason training. I like it here.”
The Bucs picked up Wirfs’ fifth-year option that would pay him $18.6 million this season but both sides are eager to reach a long-term extension.
Bucs general manager Jason Licht told reporters Sunday that Wirfs deserves to be the highest-paid tackle in the league. The Vikings’ Christian Darrisaw’s offseason extension set the market, paying him $26 million per year.
“I can promise you this, Tristan’s gonna be playing for the Bucs this year. He’s gonna be playing for the Bucs in the distant future. I think we’re gonna get something done at some point, I just can’t tell you when. … I’m optimistic that hopefully it will be soon,” Licht said.
The Schultz Report, however, reported Sunday that the sides are “very far apart.”
The Bucs selected Wirfs No. 13 overall in the 2020 draft out of Iowa. He’s started all 63 games he’s played in, making the Pro Bowl the past three seasons and earning All-Pro honors in 2021.