The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have always been the underdog, and many of their star players over the years have been underrated or underappreciated despite playing at such high levels.
The most notable current Bucs that fit that mold are future Hall of Famers Mike Evans and Lavonte David.
There is another player on the Bucs’ roster who has the makings of a Hall of Fame career — offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs.
Despite playing a non-sexy position in the NFL, Wirfs has gotten plenty of love from his peers, pundits, and even doubters for his fantastic work at being a force in protecting his quarterback as well as in the run game.
Nov 4, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (78) at the line of scrimmage against the Kansas City Chiefsduring the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Wirfs has been an All-Pro at both tackle positions, won a Super Bowl and is consistently one of the top three tackles in the league (he’s not three). Wirfs is set to miss the start of the regular season after undergoing a surgery on his knee, but it appears that even with the notion of being one of the top offensive lineman in the league, he is being discounted as one of the best in the popular NFL video game Madden, as they didn’t have him making the exclusive 99 Club.
Since being drafted 13th overall in 2020, Wirfs has only continued to shine for the Bucs.
He has been consistent, hardly missing any playing time even if he was banged up. He has also accumulated plenty of accolades early in his career, including four Pro Bowl honors. Since 2020, Wirfs ranks second in the league in fewest sacks allowed per pass attempt (4.3%) and is tied for the third-fewest sacks during that span.
It is really hard to not see Wirfs making the 99 Club for all that he has done since arriving in the league. To make matters worse, his 2024 season was even more impressive, not allowing a single sack across 1,014 snaps while earning a 93.7 pass-blocking grade by Pro Football Focus — the best mark across the entire NFL.
Despite being out for the start of the 2025 season, Wirfs is once again expected to be one of the best along the offensive line. He has only proven to be that across his young career, so it makes you wonder what the evaluators over at Madden are thinking.
We just might have to give a call to famed Madden evaluator Chad Ochocinco.
