Total Pro Sports
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have already been hit with some brutal injury news, as they’ll be without All-Pro offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs to begin the season.
According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Tristan Wirfs underwent surgery on his right knee yesterday and is expected to miss “at least” a couple of games. Wirfs will be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.
Stroud noted that Wirfs “aggravated” the injury that he endured during the 2024 season, and that more damage was found when he was booked for surgery.
The Bucs will start the season without All Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs, who underwent surgery on his right knee Tuesday and will likely miss at least the first couple games of the regular season. Wirfs aggravated a right knee injury in the offseaon that forced him to miss only…
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) July 9, 2025
Last August, Wirfs signed a lucrative five-year contract extension worth $140.6 million that made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in league history. The new deal kicks in this year, with Wirfs completing his rookie deal last season.
The Buccaneers drafted Tristan Wirfs with the No. 13 pick in 2020, and he immediately stepped in as Tom Brady’s blindside protector. Wirfs played a pivotal role in helping Tampa Bay win Super Bowl 55 in his rookie year, with Brady taking just six sacks in four playoff games.
Wirfs has also been instrumental in Baker Mayfield’s career renaissance with the Bucs, as well as the emergence of running backs Rachaad White and Bucky Irving. There’s no replacing an all-world player of Wirfs caliber, so the Bucs can only hope that the knee issue doesn’t sideline him long-term.
With Wirfs expected to miss at least a couple of games, that means he would be sidelined for the Week 1 opener against the Atlanta Falcons (Sept. 7) and Week 2 contest against CJ Stroud’s Houston Texans (Sept. 15).
If this timeline proves accurate, the earliest Wirfs could return is for the Bucs’ Week 3 home game against the New York Jets on Sept. 21.
