Ex-Bucs OL A.Q. Shipley: Tristan Wirfs ‘Should Have Been Paid the First Day He Could’

Tristan Wirfs and the Buccaneers are inching closer to a contract extension that should make the three-time Pro Bowler the highest-paid tackle in the NFL.

But the deal is not done yet, and an ex-teammate of Wirfs believes it’s past time to put pen to paper.

“He should’ve been paid the first day he could,” said former Tampa Bay center A.Q. Shipley, who played with Wirfs in 2020 and coached him in 2021. “Great kid. Great player. He’s 6-6, 340 pounds and can run better than most linebackers.

“He’s freakishly gifted, and he does everything right – he’s not going to get the bag and then shut it down. That’s a guy that deserves to be rewarded.”

Wirfs’ on-field dominance is well-known, and the 25-year-old’s character, work ethic and appreciation for Tampa Bay make it a no-brainer to pay him handsomely, Shipley said.

“He loves the strength coaches down there, loves being in the building, loves Tampa, loves doing stuff in the community,” Shipley said. “He’s going to country concerts and jumping on stage with Luke Combs or whoever it is. He’s going to Lightning games. He’s always out there. He’s in and out of that building all year long. He’s not the guy that you see during the season and then he disappears.”

Position Switch Showed Wirfs’ Team-First Mentality

Shipley said Wirfs’ willingness to leave right tackle for the left side shows his unselfishness and team-first mentality.

“He could have spent 15-to-20 years as a right tackle, where he was comfortable at, but he makes the move because they asked him to do so, and he does it without even blinking an eye,” Shipley said. “That could have been disastrous because that’s like wiping your ass with your left hand. He goes over there, where it’s a completely different movement pattern, and he plays just as well over there and doesn’t complain one bit.”

Shipley, who is currently an analyst for the Pat McAfee show and trains offensive linemen during the offseason, believes a delay in the deal could be a remnant of the cap complexities following the win-now push from Tom Brady’s tenure with Tampa.

“They did everything to push the numbers down the road,” Shipley said. “When you do that, you put yourself in cap hell down the road. And they were kind of in-between last year, but then they go and make the playoffs again, and now they’re back in win-now mode.

“I think there might be a little bit of cap gymnastics, but I’m a big fan of Mike Greenberg, their cap guy down there. I think he’s an absolute genius who will be a GM someday. If there is anybody that can figure it out, it’s him.”

"@aqshipley was unbelievable for us and you can eat soup off the top of his head 😂😂

He's tough as hell and he was so fun to have around" ~ @jasonrlicht #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/LHfljkh3zd

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 9, 2024

Wirfs is doing some work in training camp, but sitting out live action. Shipley said he was indifferent about holdouts and hold-ins early in his playing career but now is a firm believer in staying off the field until the deal is signed.

“Going into the last year of my contract in 2018, I tore my ACL,” Shipley said. “You don’t think it’s going to happen; we all think we’re invincible. But you have a short period to earn that one big pay-day. In this day and age, with the way most of the language is written, it protects the team for the most part. So when you’re that talented and that good, and you do everything right, you’re a team-first guy, you should sit and get that deal. You can’t risk anything crazy or stupid to happen.”

‘Crazy’ Quarterback Market Puts Other Players at Disadvantage

Shipley was the starting center in Tampa Bay when Wirfs was drafted in 2020, and was an offensive assistant under Bruce Arians in 2021.

All that time spent with Wirfs resulted in valuable insight that would give Shipley zero pause in handing him a lavish deal.

“He’s f—— freakish, and you saw it from Day 1,” Shipley said. “He came in NFL-ready. His technique was flawless. All we had to figure out was if he could handle the mental, and he was super sharp in that aspect.”

Shipley believes Wirfs’ combination of age, accolades and attitude should result in a market-moving contract for left tackles. He just hopes the continued spending spree on quarterbacks isn’t hurting Wirfs and other non-quarterback superstars.

“This quarterback market is crazy, and even if he’s the 21st-best quarterback in the league, because he’s due at the right time, he’s getting $40-$50 million per year,” Shipley said. “It puts everybody else at a disadvantage in getting the money they deserve. The best players should be rewarded.”