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Greg Auman
NFC South Reporter
On a day when the Bucs celebrated extending one of their best players, they also were reminded how frightening it can be to lose one as well.
Thursday morning started with huge news that left tackle Tristan Wirfs had agreed to a five-year, $140.63 million extension. The deal makes him not only the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history, but also gives him the largest contract in franchise history as well.
Just two hours later, in the final minutes of practice, the Bucs found themselves at the opposite emotional extreme, with players taking a knee on the practice field after outside linebacker Yaya Diaby, who led the team in sacks as a rookie last year, went down with a left ankle injury. He was carted off the field, and coach Todd Bowles said he didn’t immediately know the severity of the setback. Initial X-rays were negative, providing hope that Diaby had avoided a major injury.
Losing him for any significant time would be a major blow to the Bucs’ pass rush. Bowles had praised his outside linebacker depth as being perhaps the team’s best at any position, but then free agent Randy Gregory never reported for camp, and now Diaby’s status is uncertain.
For the long-term future of the team, Wirfs is a cornerstone deal, locking up one of the league’s top young linemen. Wirfs played every snap as a rookie in the Bucs’ Super Bowl season of 2020, became the franchise’s first-ever Associated Press first-team All-Pro selection, made two Pro Bowls and successfully shifted from right tackle to left tackle a year ago.
“If anybody deserves to be the highest paid in franchise history, the highest paid O-lineman in the history of the league, it’s this guy right here,” general manager Jason Licht said Thursday. “Everybody’s excited for Tristan, because of what he embodies as a leader, a person, a player, a freakish athlete, all those things. He just means so much to this organization and what…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/bucs-complete-offseason-goal-lock-up-core-tristan-wirfs-deal
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Publish date : 2024-08-01 18:53:21
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