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Greg Auman
NFC South Reporter
Antoine Winfield Jr. saw his future so clearly.
When the Bucs safety earned first-team All-Pro honors for the first time in January, he mentioned that he’d seen it coming, referencing a video he recorded after a spring workout last year in which he laid out all of his goals for the 2024 season.
On Monday, he posted that video on Instagram, and it shows the focus and confidence that he carried through last season. A shirtless Winfield, standing on a field on May 20, 2023, after a Saturday morning workout.
“Big season ahead. I think I’m the only one that sees it, but that’s just how it’s got to be right now … highest-paid this year, mark my words,” Winfield said. “I’m going to come back to this video, be like ‘I did it.’ Probably shed a tear … We’re going to make it happen. Power of the tongue. You have to speak it into existence. All-Pro, highest-paid. All-Pro, highest-paid. All-Pro, highest-paid. Eventually it’s going to become reality. Stay tuned.”
On Monday, the final piece of that vision came together, as Winfield and the Bucs agreed to a four-year extension that made him not only the highest-paid safety in NFL history, but the highest-paid defensive back. The contract will reportedly pay out $84.1 million over four years, which pushes him past the $21 million per year that Packers corner Jaire Alexander had gotten as the previous high per year for a defensive back. Winfield’s extension includes $45 million fully guaranteed, also resetting that mark for a DB.
“He’s a hell of a player,” Bucs general manager Jason Licht said on “The Pat McAfee Show” last week. “I think he keeps on this trajectory, he’s also somebody that could be mentioned Hall of Fame worthy. I’m not afraid to admit that. I don’t think it’s going to hurt negotiations. I’ve been upfront with him the whole time: He’s the best safety in the league, and he should be paid like it.”
When the Bucs drafted Winfield in…
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Publish date : 2024-05-14 14:05:24
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