VIA TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS COMMUNICATIONS -
The National Football League today announced that Tampa Bay Buccaneers nose tackle Vita Vea and left tackle Tristan Wirfs were named to the 2025 Pro Bowl Games. The nod marks the second career Pro Bowl selection for Vea (2021), while Wirfs has now earned four consecutive trips (2021-24) in just five NFL seasons.
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield and kicker Chase McLaughlin were each named as first alternates. Other alternates include linebacker Lavonte David and wide receiver Mike Evans.
Vea, who is in his seventh NFL season, has amassed 39 tackles (nine for loss), 6.0 sacks, 12 quarterback hits and one pass defensed in 15 games played this season. Per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Vea ranks seventh among all interior defensive tackles (min. 600 snaps) in quarterback pressure rate (10.5%), eighth in stuff percentage (4.4%) and tied for tenth in sacks.
Vea plays a central role in a Buccaneers defense that has been stout against the run again in 2024, ranking fifth in fewest rushing yards allowed per game (99.9). If Tampa Bay can hold onto its top five ranking against the run this season, the Buccaneers will have finished as a top five run defense in 5-of-6 seasons since Vea became a full-time starter in 2019, including twice boasting the NFL’s best (2019-20). Since 2019, Tampa Bay ranks first in rush defense (94.1 rush yards per game), first in fewest yards allowed per rush attempt (4.0), third in fewest rushing touchdowns allowed (68) and second in sacks (279.0).
Since returning from its Bye in Week 12, Tampa Bay’s defense ranks first against the run (57.8 rushing yards allowed per game), second in total defense (270.8 yards allowed per game) and third in scoring defense (16.7).
Wirfs’ four Pro Bowl honors are the most by an offensive lineman in franchise history, surpassing Tony Mayberry (three), and tying Jimmie Giles for the third-most selections among all offensive players in team annals, trailing only Mike Alstott (six) and Mike Evans (five). He also joined Alstott as Tampa Bay’s lone offensive players to have earned four-or-more consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl, and became the first Buccaneers player on either side of the ball to accomplish this feat since Gerald McCoy made six consecutive Pro Bowls from 2012-17.
Wrapping up his fifth NFL season, Wirfs has garnered four Pro Bowl selections, one Associated Press first-team All-Pro selection (2021), a second-team All-Pro selection (2022) and was a member of the PFWA All-Rookie Team (2020), in addition to starting on Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl LV Championship team in his rookie season.
In 2024, Wirfs has totaled 909 offensive snaps through Week 17, and per Pro Football Focus (PFF) metrics, has yielded just one quarterback hit and 10 pressures, while not surrendering a single sack across 15 games played. PFF has credited Wirfs with a 93.2 pass-blocking grade this season – the highest among any qualified offensive lineman. Among all qualified tackles with 850+ offensive snaps in 2024, Wirfs ranks fifth with an 84.0 overall offensive grade, per PFF. Wirfs also owns the lowest quarterback pressure rate (4.3%) and lowest 1-on-1 pressure rate (4.8%) among players with 500+ pass-blocking snaps played this season, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
Since Wirfs was drafted in 2020, the Buccaneers rank third in the NFL in fewest sacks allowed per pass attempt (3.8%), in addition to allowing the fourth-fewest total sacks (146) during that span. This season, Wirfs is anchoring a Tampa Bay offense that ranks in the top five in points scored (29.7 per game), total yards (399.9), passing yards (252.6), rushing yards (147.3), first downs (23.4) and third down conversion percentage (50%). The Buccaneers are the only team that ranks top five in total yards per game, passing yards per game and rushing yards per game through Week 17.
The 2025 Pro Bowl Games are set to take place January 30 through February 2 in Orlando and will be broadcasted on ESPN.
COVER PHOTO COURTESY GETTY IMAGES
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