Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sign The Highest Paid DB In The NFL

For years, there has been one player that has worked tirelessly to prove his worth. We've watched him get snubbed out of pro bowls, robbed of all-pro honors, and slighted out of winning Defensive Player of the Year. All these things would most likely discourage any ordinary person, but not Antoine Winfield. And it finally paid off. Antoine Winfield is now the highest paid DB in the NFL.

According to NFL.com, The safety agreed to a four-year, $84.1 million deal with the Bucs on Monday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. Out of the 84 million, $45 million is guaranteed and makes him the highest-paid defensive back in the NFL, which is the first time in the NFL's history that the title is being held by a safety. This deals comes just a few months after Winfield was franchise tagged and a bunch of negotiating by his agent David Mulugheta.

Mulugheta posted his and Winfield's reaction while writing "Couldn’t be happier to make this call and let @antoinewinfieldjr know he just made HISTORY! The first time that a safety is the highest paid defensive back in the NFL. In a year where the value of safeties has been questioned, the Buccaneer Organization, the Glazer Family and GM Jason Licht have stepped up and taken care of one of their most valuable family members.

Congratulations Antoine, you have accomplished something that has never been done before. You will forever be etched in history as the first. I appreciate your trust and cannot wait to see you back on the field."

The Buccaneers have had an active offseason signing many of their key players that could have left to free agency. They have signed Baker Mayfield (three-year, $100 million deal), Mike Evans (three-year, $100 million deal), Jordan Whitehead (two-year deal for $9 million), and Lavonte David (1 year worth up to $10 million) just to name a few. With the addition of Antoine Winfield, many believe the Bucs are close to complete.

Who do you think the Bucs need to sign next?

Source: NFL.com

Updated 3/4/2014

Ahh football season, there's always something going on even if it's during the off-season. Mike Evans recently announced he'll be staying with the Buccaneers for a couple more seasons. But what does that mean for Baker Mayfield? We thought with all the changes to the team, it's a great time to deep dive into the rankings of Buccaneers QBs.

The Buccaneers finished the 2023 season as the NFC South champions with a 9-8 record. They beat the Philadelphia Eagles during the Wild Card round but couldn't keep the playoff hopes alive against the Detroit Lions.

To make the rankings of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers QBs, we looked at the overall career stats of the players and their stats while they were playing for the Bucs. Obviously, there are some superstars on the list and a couple of duds. Buccaneers QBs include Super Bowl champions Tom Brady and Trent Dilfer, as well as Doug Williams, Brad Johnson, and others. The Buccaneers have had 39 different quarterbacks since their inaugural season in 1976. So there will be some names missing from this list. We didn't want to include any QB's that played less than half the season. So yes, we know Josh Johnson, Byron Leftwich, Luke McCown and a few more are missing from this list. We'll just be focusing on the starters/big names for this post. We got our inspiration from ThePewterPlank.com. Check out their full list of rankings.

Who was your favorite Buccaneers QB? We think with certainty no one will say Jameis Winston. It's been a pleasure watching him throw interception after interception in the 4th quarter now that he's NOT playing for the Bucs. Don't agree with our rankings? Let us know how you would rank Tampa's QBs on social media.

Obviously we have to put the GOAT as our number 1 pick for best QB's in Tampa. Tom brought home a Super Bowl championship to Tampa and added to his impressive ring collection. He was 5-2 in the playoffs, Super Bowl MVP and Pro Bowler. Kind of a no-brainer.

It only makes sense that our other Super Bowl winning QB gets the #2 spot on the list. Brad was also a 2002 Pro Bowler. During his 4 years in Tampa he had a 26-23 record and had 64 TD.

Trent Dilfer was our starting BQ before the Brad Johnson era. He was one of the reasons the Bucs we're somewhat fun to watch during the 1996-1999 seasons. He played for 6 years in Tampa and had a 38-38 record with 70 TD.

After a full season as the Buccaneers starting QB, we thought a fair ranking of Baker would be in the 4th spot. Mayfield ranked among league-leaders in passing touchdowns (7th), passing yards (9th), completions (10th) and passer rating (12th). He became the second player in Buccaneers history to throw for 4,000+ yards, 25-or-more touchdowns and 10-or-fewer interceptions in a single season, joining Tom Brady. As of March 2024 there is still no word on Baker's next move or current contract. Let's wait and let him Bake...

Shaun King played on the Buccaneers from 1999-2003. His record was 14-8 with 24 TDs, and 18 INTs. King had a reputation of being good enough to not get in the way of a solid game performance, but not good enough for a deep playoff run.

Doug Williams spend most of his career in Tampa where he played 67 games and 73 TD. Williams took the team to the playoffs three times in five seasons. Although he never won a Super Bowl in Tampa, he did go on to win SB XXII and earned MVP with the Washington Redskins.

If we could go back in time, we would've liked a couple more seasons with Steve Young. Although his time in Tampa was short and he never got the Bucs to the playoffs, he did go on to win two league MVPs and a Super Bowl ring with the 49ers.

Picked first overall in the 1987 NFL Draft, Vinny Testaverde had high expectations in Tampa. Even though he never made it to a Super Bowl with the team, he still holds several franchise records.

Many Bucs fans may remember the dark ages of the Josh Freeman era. His record was 24-35 with 80 TDs and 66 INT. The whole team was struggling during these years and Freeman wasn't much help. He was eventually released in the middle of his fifth season.

We may get some heat for this one. But we think Jameis Winston is one of the worst QBs in Bucs' history. Even though he had a very successful college career at FSU, in his 5 years with the team he had a 28-42 record with 88 INT. Often blowing the lead in the 4th quarter. Both his first and last throws with the team were pick six's. All definitely not worth a number 1 round draft pick. And let us not forget about the crab legs incident.

The first round draft pick from UF, Steve Spurrier became the first starting quarterback in Tampa Bay Buccaneers' history. Although his professional career did not live up to the hype, he still became a very successful coach.