Just recently, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed a franchise tag on Antoine Winfield Jr., locking him up to the team for the foreseeable future. But before that happened, the Philadelphia Eagles were projected to have the best fit for the safety.
The Eagles finished last season with an impressive 11-6 record, which placed them second in the NFC East division. Although they failed to take the top spot from the Dallas Cowboys, the team still managed to grab a spot in the playoffs.
Unfortunately, the Eagles were thoroughly destroyed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild card round with a score of 32-9. This massive collapse led the front office to terminate defensive coordinator Sean Desai and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson shortly after Philadelphia was eliminated.
Meanwhile, Winfield was projected to make $92 million for his next contract after playing well for Tampa Bay last season. It remains to be seen how the franchise tag will end up for the safety and whether it will lead to a longer contract for Winfield.
Philadelphia Eagles Seen As Best Fit For Antoine Winfield Jr.
Before he was locked up by the Buccaneers, Philadelphia was seen as the best landing spot for Winfield. Kristopher Knox explained more in his article for Bleacher Report:
“However, the Eagles could also provide a terrific landing spot for the first-team All-Pro. Philadelphia needs help on the back end, and it needs a defender who can make game-changing plays in the secondary. The Eagles are a team with Super Bowl aspirations, and they do have the type of defensive front that could free up Winfield to roam the secondary and make plays,” Knox wrote.
If Winfield made his way to Philadelphia, their 30th-place defense could have improved by next season. Plus, the Eagles’ chances of going deep into the playoffs could have been stronger.
Nevertheless, the Buccaneers’ franchise tag on Winfield closes that door for Philadelphia. In any case, it’d be interesting to see how the safety’s career and future contracts will play out in Tampa Bay.
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