'You surprised me': Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs learns of All-Pro honors from infant son

TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers near tackle Tristan Wirfs sewage a typical astonishment this week erstwhile he learned he'd been named Associated Press First Team All-Pro, becoming the first subordinate successful NFL history to triumph the grant astatine some the correct tackle and near tackle position.

But it was really Wirfs learned of the grant that was genuinely memorable. While doing a sit-down question and reply pinch AP elder writer Rob Maadi astatine the squad facility, Wirfs' girlfriend, Meredith Sutton, walked successful holding their nine-month-old son, Julius, who was wearing a garment that read, "My Daddy is an All-Pro."

The infinitesimal @TristanWirfs78 recovered retired he was named AP First-Team All-Pro is everything ♥️ pic.twitter.com/ZUNJHPmASI

"No way," Wirfs said successful disbelief.

"What do you think, Bub?" he asked his babe boy. "That's awesome. ... That's crazy. You amazed me. I was conscionable telling [Meredith] astir it the different night, for illustration past night, I was like, 'No one's ever done it before.' I was like, 'I'm trying!'"

Wirfs' tender infinitesimal pinch his boy was moreover much typical fixed really unfastened he's been astir immoderate of the intelligence struggles he endured taking connected the caller position past season. Wirfs had been the Bucs' starting correct tackle from 2020-2022. His occurrence was the worldly of storybooks: A Super Bowl title successful rookie season, AP First-Team All-Pro successful 2021 and Second-Team All-Pro successful 2022, pinch galore -- including his ain coaches -- calling him a early Pro Football Hall of Famer.

But he worried he wouldn't beryllium capable to replicate that aforesaid occurrence erstwhile he was asked to move to the near broadside to switch Donovan Smith successful 2023, thing he had ne'er done before. Even arsenic a prima for the Iowa Hawkeyes successful college, he only started 4 games astatine near tackle.

He began experiencing debilitating worry complete the move and sought the thief of the squad psychologist, Dr. Joseph Carella.

"It seems for illustration truthful minuscule, for illustration oh, you're conscionable flipping sides, but I was for illustration having breakdowns astir it," Wirfs said successful August of 2023. "I'm like, 'I can't beryllium present pinch these thoughts anymore, I'm conscionable benignant of mounting myself up for failure.' I would conscionable deliberation about, 'I americium going to suck' aliases like, 'I americium not going to beryllium capable to do it' each time long.

"I was successful a really unsmooth spot mentally. I was really nervous," Wirfs said then. "I was playing retired the play successful my caput complete and complete again like, 'Oh, what if it goes this measurement aliases what if it goes this way?' So, I was like, 'It is freaking May. You person to calm down.'"

Wirfs went connected to person a Pro Bowl play successful 2023 and it carried complete into 2024, wherever he was besides named a Pro Bowler for the 4th consecutive year. His 95.9% walk blocking triumph complaint was the champion successful the convention among near and correct tackles this year, and he surrendered conscionable 2 sacks each year.

"That's outstanding," coach Todd Bowles said Friday. "It says a batch astir him -- his activity ethic, his character, his pride, the measurement he goes astir things," Bowles said. "He does it the correct way. He plays hard. He did a heck of a occupation astatine correct tackle [and] I cognize he was skeptical astatine near tackle, but he dove successful pinch some feet and he sewage awesome astatine it, too."