Report: Bucs' Wirfs likely to miss start of season with knee injury
Tampa Bay Buccaneers left tackle Tristan Wirfs will likely begin the season on the physically unable to perform list after undergoing knee surgery Tuesday, according to the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud.
Players placed on the PUP list are forced to miss at least the first four games of the year.
During the offseason, Wirfs reaggravated a right knee injury that forced him to miss one game in 2024, according to Stroud. Wirfs underwent arthroscopic surgery that discovered some additional minor damage.
Wirfs signed a five-year, $140.6-million extension with the club last offseason that made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history.
The 26-year-old earned first-team All-Pro honors last season and is considered one of the best offensive tackles in the league. He didn't allow a sack in 664 pass-blocking snaps in 2024, according to PFF.
Charlie Heck, who signed a one-year deal with the Bucs this offseason, is expected to fill in for Wirfs at the beginning of the 2025 campaign.
Wirfs has started 79 games since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2020.