Offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs is ready to fill the void left behind by legendary quarterback Tom Brady and lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023.
Back in February, Brady announced he was retiring from the NFL "for good" after a 23-year career with the New England Patriots and Buccaneers. His decision came following a torrid 2022 campaign in which the seven-time Super Bowl champion struggled with issues in his personal life.
The Bucs struggled on the field as they finished with a losing record of 8-9; although they somehow emerged victorious in the NFC South. Their unlikely trip to the playoffs was swiftly ended at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys in the wild card round of the playoffs, closing the door on Brady’s career in the process.
While his final campaign was somewhat forgettable, Brady ultimately altered franchise history since his 2020 signing, leading Tampa Bay to Super Bowl LVII glory in his first season with the team. His retirement has shrouded the organisation in doubt going forwards, particularly with a clear leadership void emerging.
Wirfs protected Brady for three years after being selected by the Bucs in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, earning a First-team All-Pro selection in 2021 and following that up with a 2022 Second-team All-Pro nod. With Brady gone, the two-time Pro Bowler hopes to become a vocal leader rather than letting his performances do the talking.
“We had Tom," Wirfs told the "Vikes Verified" podcast earlier this summer. “Tom is an incredible leader. He's an incredible person. You could put him up there with the best leaders of all time. He was very vocal. He'd bring the whole team up and give a little speech after practice. He'd bring the whole offense up.
“Obviously, I'm not even close to that level to do that now, but I want to say a couple things - how I'm feeling or what I'm thinking. Just how practice went, just little things. I've been trying to do that more. Trying to be somebody that the younger guys can kind of lean to or ask me questions about whatever.
“It is weird, I still feel young, but going into Year 4, I've been to the Super Bowl, been to the playoffs, been to the NFC Championship. I've done stuff.”
Wirfs has certainly impressed since taking to the field his rookie year, where he started all 20 games en route to the Super Bowl title. Amid the uncertainty surrounding the franchise in the post-Brady era, he is ready to step up.
“I've really been doing my best this offseason, throughout all these OTAs and throughout this minicamp, just to be a little bit more vocal,” Wirfs added. “Because I feel like even through college, I've never been an extremely vocal leader. I've always been kind of a lead-by-example kind of guy – go almost under the radar.
“I feel like now it gets to a certain point where now I kinda got to take over.”
Wirfs will hope Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask can replace Brady’s production on the field. Tampa Bay remains loaded with talent despite the seven-time Super Bowl champion’s retirement, with receiving duo Mike Evans and Chris Godwin likely to play key roles as the franchise defends its NFC South crown in 2023.
