TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are officially placing the franchise tag on All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr., sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
The Bucs were attempting to work out a deal with Winfield and instead will use this as a placeholder for a long-term contract, sources said. The Bucs did this with wide receiver Chris Godwin in 2022, first franchise tagging him before the deadline and then striking a new deal days later.
"[Winfield had] one of the best seasons I've seen the safety have as an all-around player, and it wasn't just in the game -- it was in practice as well," coach Todd Bowles said at the NFL scouting combine last week.