BuccaneersFan.com • Player Spotlight • No. 78
Photo: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Left tackle • Active
Elite on either side
Tristan Wirfs
- Born
- January 24, 1999
- Hometown
- Mount Vernon, Iowa
- Listed size
- 6 feet 5 inches • 320 pounds
- High school
- Mount Vernon • Iowa
- College
- Iowa, 2017–2019
- NFL Draft
- 2020 • Round 1 • Pick 13
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - NFL career
- Tampa Bay, 2020–present
- Current chapter
- Seventh Buccaneers season in 2026
Right tackle, 2020–2022 • Left tackle since 2023
Profile: Buccaneers biography and Iowa biography. Honors: AP All-Pro announcement and fifth Pro Bowl selection.
The work that gives a play its chance.
A tackle works at the edge of every possibility: the pocket a quarterback needs, the space a runner can use, the extra moment that lets a play develop. Tristan Wirfs brings a remarkable combination of size, balance and movement to that job.
Tampa Bay moved up one spot to draft him in 2020. He stepped straight into the starting lineup and finished his rookie season as a Super Bowl champion. The next chapter asked him to master the other side of the line—a challenge that became the defining achievement of his career. Buccaneers career overview.
Now in his seventh NFL season, No. 78 remains a central figure in Tampa Bay’s offense. His teammates selected him as a captain for a fourth consecutive year in 2026. 2026 team captains.
The Buccaneers chapter
2020–present: a foundation on the offensive line
Wirfs has started every NFL game in which he has appeared. The season-by-season view tracks those appearances alongside his position and Tampa Bay’s results.
| Season | Position | G | GS | Team W–L | Season finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | RT | 16 | 16 | 11–5 | Super Bowl LV champions |
| 2021 | RT | 17 | 17 | 13–4 | NFC South champions; lost divisional round |
| 2022 | RT | 13 | 13 | 8–9 | NFC South champions; lost wild-card round |
| 2023 | LT | 17 | 17 | 9–8 | NFC South champions; lost divisional round |
| 2024 | LT | 16 | 16 | 10–7 | NFC South champions; lost wild-card round |
| 2025 | LT | 12 | 12 | 8–9 | Missed playoffs |
| 2026 * | LT | 8 | 8 | 3–5 | In progress through Week 8 |
*2026 is in progress through November 1. G = games played; GS = games started; RT = right tackle; LT = left tackle. Team W–L is Tampa Bay’s full regular-season record, including games Wirfs missed. On smaller screens, swipe or scroll across tables; keyboard users can focus a table area and use the arrow keys.
Sources: Buccaneers career summary, NFL game log and the team’s position-change report.
2020–2022 A championship start at right tackle.
As a rookie, Wirfs started all 16 regular-season games and all four playoff games. He helped Tampa Bay complete its title run with a 31–9 victory over Kansas City in Super Bowl LV on February 7, 2021.
His first three seasons also brought a PFWA All-Rookie selection, AP first-team honors for 2021 and AP second-team recognition for 2022. Rookie award • 2022 All-Pro report.
2023–2024 A new side. A new level of recognition.
The move to left tackle arrived in 2023. Wirfs started all 17 regular-season games in his first year there and continued to earn league recognition.
In August 2024, he agreed to a five-year extension running through 2029. That season ended with AP first-team recognition at his new position. Contract extension • 2024 All-Pro report.
2025–2026 Experience, recovery and leadership.
Knee surgery delayed the start of his 2025 season, but Wirfs returned in Week Four and finished with 12 starts and a fifth consecutive Pro Bowl selection.
Through Week Eight of 2026, he has started each game at left tackle, bringing his regular-season career total to 99. 2025 return • Pro Bowl recognition • Current game log.
Championship season: rookie participation review and Super Bowl LV recap.
A first in Associated Press All-Pro history
An All-Pro on both sides
Two positions • One standard
AP first-team All-Pro
2023 The move to left tackle
AP first-team All-Pro
Different stance. Different timing.
The same commitment to the craft.
LEARNING THE OTHER SIDE
Switching sides changes a tackle’s stance, footwork and hand timing. Wirfs approached the 2023 transition as a skill to learn, even after earning NFL honors on the right.
One small training detail captured the work: he practiced with a wet sponge in his right hand to remind himself to initiate with that hand from the left side. The drill was intended to build the muscle memory his new position required.
A Pro Bowl selection followed his first season at left tackle. His second brought a historic distinction: he became the first player to earn Associated Press first-team All-Pro honors at both right and left tackle.
According to Pro Football Focus, Wirfs allowed no sacks during the 2024 regular season. That is a provider evaluation of his blocking, separate from official games-played statistics.
Sources: Wirfs’s August 2023 account of the transition and 2024 AP announcement and attributed PFF evaluation.
Mount Vernon • Iowa City • Tampa Bay
The athlete behind the offensive tackle
Strength with an athletic foundation
At Mount Vernon High School, Wirfs competed in football, wrestling and track and field. He won Iowa’s Class 2A heavyweight wrestling championship in 2017, state discus titles in three consecutive years, and two state shot-put titles.
His 2020 NFL Combine offered another glimpse of that athletic range: a 4.85-second 40-yard dash, a 36.5-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-1 broad jump. His 40 was the fastest among that year’s offensive linemen.
Sources: Iowa biography and Buccaneers draft-day profile. Combine comparisons refer to 2020.
Developing at Iowa
Wirfs became the first true freshman to start at offensive tackle during Kirk Ferentz’s tenure at Iowa. By 2019, he was the Big Ten’s Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year and a first-team All-Big Ten selection.
He started all 13 games in his final college season, ten on the right and three on the left. That experience provided an early introduction to both sides of the line before his NFL career demanded a permanent change.
Sources: Iowa career and honors and 2019 position breakdown.
One move up the board. A cornerstone for Tampa Bay.
On April 23, 2020, the Buccaneers traded with San Francisco to move from No. 14 to No. 13 and selected Wirfs. He joined a team preparing for its first season with Tom Brady and became its starting right tackle.
Sources: Tampa Bay’s trade announcement and draft selection report.
The numbers behind No. 78
Career statistics & honors
Through November 1, 2026, Wirfs has made 99 regular-season starts: 46 at right tackle and 53 at left tackle. His nine playoff starts are recorded separately.
| Scope | G | GS | RT starts | LT starts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season, 2020–2025 | 91 | 91 | 46 | 45 |
| Regular season, through Nov. 1, 2026 | 99 | 99 | 46 | 53 |
| Postseason, 2020–2024 seasons | 9 | 9 | 6 | 3 |
The regular-season rows are overlapping snapshots: the current total already includes 2020–2025. Postseason totals cover the 2020–2024 seasons. Position totals are calculated from the season rows.
Sources: official career summary and current NFL game log. The current total adds eight 2026 starts to 91 through 2025.
Milestones at the line
- 20 starts as a rookie: 16 regular-season games plus four playoff games in the championship season.
- Five consecutive Pro Bowl selections: the 2021 through 2025 seasons.
- Three AP All-Pro selections: first team in 2021 and 2024; second team in 2022.
Sources: rookie-season review and the award reports linked below.
A different kind of highlight
On November 30, 2025, Wirfs sold a block, released into the end zone and caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield against Arizona. His first NFL reception was also his first NFL touchdown.
Tampa Bay won 20–17, and a player usually responsible for creating space had his own moment on the score sheet.
Sources: the touchdown play and game recap.
Honors by season • 2020–2026
| Season | Position | Pro Bowl | AP All-Pro | Other honors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | RT | — | — | PFWA All-Rookie Team; Super Bowl LV champion |
| 2021 | RT | Yes | First team | — |
| 2022 | RT | Yes | Second team | — |
| 2023 | LT | Yes | — | — |
| 2024 | LT | Yes | First team | — |
| 2025 | LT | Yes | — | — |
| 2026 * | LT | Pending | Pending | Season in progress |
Awards are labeled by NFL season. The 2026 Pro Bowl Games recognized the 2025 season. *The 2026 season remains in progress; end-of-season awards are pending. AP = Associated Press; PFWA = Pro Football Writers of America.
Sources: 2020 PFWA awards, 2022 AP second team, 2024 AP first team and 2025 Pro Bowl announcement.
2026 game log • Through Week 8
| Week | Game date | Opponent | Result | Position | G | GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep. 13, 2026 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 27–33 | LT | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Sep. 20, 2026 | Cleveland Browns | L 19–23 | LT | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Sep. 27, 2026 | Minnesota Vikings | L 16–23 | LT | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | Oct. 4, 2026 | Green Bay Packers | L 14–17 | LT | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | Oct. 8, 2026 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 24–16 | LT | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | Oct. 18, 2026 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 19–26 | LT | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | Oct. 25, 2026 | at Carolina Panthers | W 43–13 | LT | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | Nov. 1, 2026 | Atlanta Falcons | W 16–0 | LT | 1 | 1 |
Scores show Tampa Bay first. The word “at” marks an away game; all other games in this table were at home. G and GS describe Wirfs’s participation. Every listed game was a start at left tackle.
Sources: NFL current game log, team recent-game log and Week Eight depth chart.
Postseason totals • By NFL season
| Season | Position | G | GS | Team finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | RT | 4 | 4 | Won Super Bowl LV |
| 2021 | RT | 1 | 1 | Lost divisional round |
| 2022 | RT | 1 | 1 | Lost wild-card round |
| 2023 | LT | 2 | 2 | Lost divisional round |
| 2024 | LT | 1 | 1 | Lost wild-card round |
NFL postseason labels follow the preceding regular season: the 2020 postseason culminated in Super Bowl LV in February 2021. G and GS count Wirfs’s appearances; the finish column describes the team’s full playoff run.
Wirfs played in one of Tampa Bay’s two playoff games after the 2021 season. An ankle injury sustained against Philadelphia kept him out of the divisional game against the Rams on January 23, 2022. That absence is excluded from his nine playoff appearances.
Sources: career postseason summary and Rams-game inactive report.
Every playoff appearance • Nine starts
| Season | Game date | Round | Opponent | Result | Position | GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Jan. 9, 2021 | Wild Card | at Washington Football Team | W 31–23 | RT | 1 |
| 2020 | Jan. 17, 2021 | Divisional | at New Orleans Saints | W 30–20 | RT | 1 |
| 2020 | Jan. 24, 2021 | NFC Championship | at Green Bay Packers | W 31–26 | RT | 1 |
| 2020 | Feb. 7, 2021 | Super Bowl LV | Kansas City Chiefs | W 31–9 | RT | 1 |
| 2021 | Jan. 16, 2022 | Wild Card | Philadelphia Eagles | W 31–15 | RT | 1 |
| 2022 | Jan. 16, 2023 | Wild Card | Dallas Cowboys | L 14–31 | RT | 1 |
| 2023 | Jan. 15, 2024 | Wild Card | Philadelphia Eagles | W 32–9 | LT | 1 |
| 2023 | Jan. 21, 2024 | Divisional | at Detroit Lions | L 23–31 | LT | 1 |
| 2024 | Jan. 12, 2025 | Wild Card | Washington Commanders | L 20–23 | LT | 1 |
Scores show Tampa Bay first. The word “at” marks a road game. Super Bowl LV was played at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay’s home stadium, as the designated Super Bowl venue. The 2021-season Philadelphia appearance ended early because of an ankle injury. Washington’s 2020-season team was called the Washington Football Team; its 2024-season team was the Commanders.
Sources: official postseason logs for 2020, 2023 and 2024; the 2021 Eagles recap; and the Dallas playoff results report.
Family • Gratitude • Community
Beyond the line
Before he heard his name called in the 2020 draft, Wirfs made sure his mother, Sarah, had a moment of her own. He rolled out a red carpet at home and greeted her with flowers—a public thank-you to the person who raised him in Mount Vernon. Draft-night family story.
His My Cause My Cleats selections have connected his Iowa roots with Tampa Bay organizations serving children and families.
- 2020
An Iowa connection. Wirfs supported the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital through the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats campaign. Official biography.
- 2021
Designing with a Tampa Bay family. He worked with a single-parent family served by Metropolitan Ministries to create his cleat design, drawing attention to the organization’s support for families in need. Campaign announcement • Team video.
- 2024
A cause for children. His selected organization for the team’s My Cause My Cleats campaign was Muma Children’s Hospital. 2024 campaign list.
Sources & statistical notes
Published November 2, 2026. Current statistics include games completed through November 1, 2026. The 2026 season is unfinished. Tampa Bay did not qualify for the playoffs after the 2025 season.
- Player information: the Buccaneers roster biography and University of Iowa biography. Listed height and weight follow the current team roster; birth date and hometown follow Iowa.
- Games and starts: completed 2020–2025 season rows are combined with the eight 2026 appearances in the current game logs. At the time of this update, the team’s recent-game log was more current than its season-summary row. The resulting regular-season total is 99 games and 99 starts.
- Statistical scope: regular-season and playoff totals are separate. Right-tackle and left-tackle start totals are calculated from the documented season roles. A missed team playoff game does not count as a player appearance.
- Honors: PFWA and Associated Press distinctions are identified by selector. Pro Bowl selections are assigned to the NFL season they recognize, rather than the calendar year in which the event takes place.
- Blocking evaluation: the 2024 zero-sack statement is attributed to Pro Football Focus through Tampa Bay’s All-Pro announcement. Sacks allowed and blocking grades depend on provider evaluation and are not treated here as official NFL box-score totals.
- Career and community stories: team draft, contract, transition, game and My Cause My Cleats reports are linked beside the passages they support. College facts come from Iowa’s published player biography.