Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Agrees to restructured deal
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Winfield agreed to a restructured contract Wednesday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
Winfield converted the vast majority of his $21 million salary into a signing bonus, creating more than $15.8 million in cap space for the Bucs. Winfield appeared in just nine regular-season games last season due to injuries, finishing with 60 tackles (34 solo), including 2.0 sacks, three pass breakups and one fumble recovery, which he returned for a 58-yard touchdown. Winfield is under contract through 2027.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Solid in injury-shortened year
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Winfield provided 60 tackles (34 solo), including 2.0 sacks, three passes defensed and a fumble recovery he returned for a touchdown across nine regular-season games in 2024.
Winfield missed Weeks 2-5 and the last four games of the regular season due to calf and knee injuries, respectively, leading to a career-low number of games played. The large swaths of missed time naturally had a ripple effect on all of Winfield's stats, leading to a career low in tackles and the first interception-less campaign of his accomplished five-year career. Winfield also tied career lows in sacks and defensed passes, and although he failed to force a fumble for the first time as well, the fumble recovery he returned for a touchdown against the Saints in a lopsided Week 6 win marked his first ever trip to the end zone. Winfield was able to suit up for the Buccaneers' wild-card loss to the Commanders and recorded seven tackles across 69 snaps, and he should therefore be ready for all offseason activities and training camp as he approaches the second season of a four-year contract extension he signed prior to the 2024 campaign.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Active for wild-card round
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Winfield (knee) is active for Sunday night's NFC wild-card game against the Commanders.
Winfield will return to action Sunday after missing the team's final four games of the regular season with a knee injury. The safety will be a valuable addition to Tampa Bay's secondary versus Washington's impressive passing attack.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Questionable for wild-card round
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Winfield (knee) practiced in full Friday and is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's home NFC wild-card round game against the Commanders.
Winfield's knee injury forced him to miss the Buccaneers' final four games of the regular season, but he's now logged three consecutive full practice sessions. The standout safety appears to be trending in the right direction to suit up for Sunday's playoff game, with head coach Todd Bowles stating that Winfield is expected to play, per Brianna Dix of the team's official site.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Likely returning to practice soon
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Coach Todd Bowles said that Winfield (knee) would have been a full participant at practice Wednesday had Tampa Bay not held a walk-through session instead, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Winfield missed the last four games of the regular season with a knee issue, but his coach's comments suggest he has a good chance to come back for the first round of the playoffs. The star safety's status will be more clear after the Buccaneers release their second official practice report of the week Thursday.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Out versus New Orleans
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Winfield (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Saints, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.
Winfield will miss his fourth straight game and eighth of the season. Jordan Whitehead, Mike Edwards and Kaevon Merriweather handled safety duties for Tampa Bay last week and should do so again versus New Orleans.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Returns to practice Thursday
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Winfield (knee) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.
Prior to Thursday's session, Winfield had been unable to practice or play due to a knee injury he suffered in Week 14 against Las Vegas. His return to practice as a limited participant indicates that he is progressing in his recovery, and Friday's injury report will indicate whether Winfield has done enough to play in Sunday's must-win game against the Saints.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Won't return Sunday vs. Vegas
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Winfield (knee) has been ruled out for the rest of Sunday's game against the Raiders.
Winfield injured his knee in the first half of Sunday's game and will not return. Kaevon Merriweather will likely take over at free safety for the rest of the contest due to Winfield's injury.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Questionable to return
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Winfield is considered questionable to return to Sunday's game versus the Raiders due to a knee injury.
Winfield had not recorded any statistics prior to exiting the game. If he is ultimately unable to return, Kaevon Merriweather is the likely candidate to fill in at free safety.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Leading tackler in loss
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Winfield recorded 12 tackles (five solo) during Monday's 30-24 overtime loss at Kansas City.
Winfield played a remarkable 82 defensive snaps Monday, his most in a single game this season by a healthy margin. He projects as a strong IDP option in most formats heading into a Week 10 matchup versus the 49ers.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Should be good for Monday
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Head coach Todd Bowles told reporters Saturday that Winfield (foot) will be good to go for Monday's game against the Chiefs, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.
Winfield injured his foot during Friday's practice, and while it's unclear whether it's the same foot that caused him to miss four regular-season games, it doesn't appear serious enough for him to be held out of Monday's contest. Across his last three games since returning from injury, Winfield has logged 21 tackles (11 solo), including 1.0 sacks, one pass breakup and one fumble recovery.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Makes seven stops vs. Atlanta
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Winfield recorded seven total tackles (three solo) in Sunday's 31-26 loss to the Falcons.
Tampa Bay's top free safety has now played 100 percent of the team's defensive snaps in back-to-back weeks since returning from a foot injury in Week 6. Winfield's seven stops Sunday brought his season total up to 28 tackles through four appearances. The All-Pro from Minnesota is expected to continue making plays as one of the best safeties in the NFL as the season progresses.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Leads Bucs with 10 tackles Monday
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Winfield logged 10 tackles (six solo), including 1.0 sacks, during Monday's 41-31 loss to the Ravens.
In his second game back from a foot injury, Winfield played every single defensive snap Monday. In addition to leading the Buccaneers with 10 tackles, he also managed to log his first sack of the season after taking down Lamar Jackson for a nine-yard loss midway through the first quarter, which forced the Ravens to punt on the next play. Winfield has logged 14 tackles (eight solo), including 1.0 sacks, one pass breakup and one fumble recovery across his last two outings.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Limited Thursday
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Winfield was a limited participant at Thursday's practice due to foot injury.
Winfield may have aggravated the injury that previously caused a four-game absence during his return in Sunday's blowout win over the Saints. Alternatively, the Buccaneers may just be engaging in some longer-term injury management. Winfield scored a touchdown against New Orleans via a fumble recovery while also producing four solo tackles. The starting free safety's status for Monday's matchup with the Chargers will become clearer as the week progresses, but Christian Izien (elbow) would be next in line should Winfield's status worsen.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Back in action in Week 6
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Winfield (foot) is listed as active Sunday in New Orleans, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Winfield has been sidelined since Week 1 due to a sprained foot, but after managing limited sessions Wednesday through Friday and entering the weekend as questionable, he'll be back in the lineup along with fellow starting safety Jordan Whitehead (groin). In 60 career regular-season contests, Winfield has averaged 6.5 tackles per game, tallied 15.0 sacks and recorded seven interceptions, making him an IDP stalwart in the Buccaneers defense.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Could play in Week 6
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Winfield (foot) is listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Saints, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Winfield hasn't played since sustaining a foot injury in the Buccaneers' Week 1 win over the Commanders. However, he's got a chance to return Sunday after a week of limited practice sessions. If Winfield isn't able to make his return in Week 6, expect Kaevon Merriweather to serve as Tampa Bay's top strong safety.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Returns to practice Wednesdy
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Winfield (foot) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice session.
Prior to Wednesday's session, Winfield hadn't participated in practice or played in a game since Week 1 against the Commanders due to a foot injury. It's a step in the right direction for the 2020 second-round pick, but Winfield will need to continue to see the field this week if he wants to return for Sunday's NFC South clash against the Steelers.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Will miss Week 3
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Coach Todd Bowles said Winfield (foot) will not play Sunday against the Broncos, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Winfield suffered a foot injury in Week 1 and was given an initial timetable of 3-to-4 weeks, so perhaps a Week 4 return against the Eagles is more doable. Christian Izien and Jordan Whitehead each played all 85 defensive snaps at safety last week against the Lions.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Officially out for Week 2
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Winfield (foot) has been ruled out for the Buccaneers' Week 2 contest against the Lions, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
This comes as no surprise, as the fifth-year safety is expected to miss three to four weeks after sustaining a foot injury during the Buccaneers' Week 1 win. Expect Christian Izien to line up alongside Jordan Whitehead in Tampa Bay's secondary while Winfield remains sidelined.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Thrives in contract year
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Winfield finished the 2023 regular season with 122 tackles (76 solo), six sacks, three interceptions, 12 passes defensed, six forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries across 17 regular-season games. He added five tackles (four solo) and a pass defensed in two postseason contests.
The fourth-year safety's tackle, interception, passes defensed, forced fumbles and fumble recovery totals all qualified as career highs. Winfield certainly picked an opportune time for a breakout campaign, considering he's set to hit free agency at the start of the new league year in March. However, given his importance to the Buccaneers defense, it would appear likely the team makes a serious attempt to retain him before he enters the open market.
