Antoine Winfield Jr.
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Antoine Duane Winfield Jr. (born August 16, 1998) is an
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
free safety Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...
for the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
of the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
at
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, and was drafted by the Buccaneers in the second round of the
2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...
. He is the son of former NFL player
Antoine Winfield Sr. Antoine Duane Winfield Sr. (born June 24, 1977) is a former American football cornerback who played 14 years in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State University, earning consensus All-American honor ...


Early years

Winfield Jr. attended
Eden Prairie High School Eden Prairie High School (EPHS) (formerly Eden Prairie Senior High School) is a four-year public high school in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States established in 1923. The present high school opened in 1981 and was significantly added to in ...
in
Eden Prairie, Minnesota Eden Prairie is a city southwest of downtown Minneapolis in Hennepin County and the 16th-largest city in the State of Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 64,198. The city is adjacent to the north bank of th ...
for his freshman year before he and his family moved to
The Woodlands, Texas The Woodlands is a special-purpose district and census-designated place (CDP) in the U.S. state of Texas in the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan statistical area. The Woodlands is primarily located in Montgomery County, with por ...
and attended
The Woodlands High School The Woodlands High School is a public high school in The Woodlands CDP, in unincorporated Montgomery County, Texas and is a part of the Conroe Independent School District. Some of the Montgomery County portion of The Woodlands and a portion of ...
, where he was a three-year letterer and two-year starting safety, in addition to being the team's kick returner alongside future NFL player Patrick Carr. As a senior, he totaled 87 tackles, five forced fumbles, and one interception, and was named the Montgomery County Player of the Year. Winfield was considered a two-star recruit by Rivals.com, and accepted a scholarship from
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
over offers from Baylor,
Eastern Michigan Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...
,
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, Lamar,
Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
,
South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...
,
Texas State Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...
, and
Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
, among others.


College career

As a true freshman at Minnesota in 2016, Winfield Jr. played in 12 games and made nine starts. During the season, he had 52 tackles, one
interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...
and one fumble recovered for a
touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...
. He played in the first four games in 2017 before suffering an injury that caused him to miss the rest of the season. He finished the season with 20 tackles and a sack. Winfield Jr. again played in only four games in 2018, recording 17 tackles and an interception. He returned from the injuries in 2019 and was named a finalist for the
Bronko Nagurski Trophy The Bronko Nagurski Trophy has been awarded annually since 1993 to the collegiate American football defensive player adjudged by the membership of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) to be the best in the National Collegiate Athle ...
. After being named a first-team all American and Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year during the 2019 season, Winfield announced that he would forgo his final 2 years of eligibility and declared for the
2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...
.


College Statistics


Professional career


2020 season

Winfield was selected by the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
with the 45th overall pick in the second round of the
2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...
. On July 29, 2020, Winfield signed his four-year rookie contract, worth $7.3 million, including a $2.87 million signing bonus. He made his regular season debut in Week 1 during a 34–23 loss to the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
, recording six tackles and a pass deflection. In Week 2, during a 31–17 win against the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
, Winfield recorded 11 total tackles and his first career sack, which resulted in a fumble. Winfield was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for his performance in September (23 total tackles, two pass deflections, two sacks, and a forced fumble from Weeks 1–3). In Week 7, during a 45–20 win against the
Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divis ...
, Winfield recorded two tackles, a pass deflection, and his first career interception. In Week 14 against the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
, Winfield led the team with 12 tackles and sacked
Kirk Cousins Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by the team then known as the Washingto ...
once during a 26–14 win. In Week 17 against the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
, Winfield recorded seven total tackles, one pass deflection, and recovered a fumble in a 44–27 win. Winfield finished the 2020 regular season with 94 total tackles, three sacks, six pass deflections, one interception, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.


2020 postseason

In the Wild Card Round of the
2020–21 NFL playoffs The National Football League playoffs for the 2020 season began with the Wildcard Round on January 9, 2021, and concluded with Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on February 7, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas ...
against the
Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...
, Winfield recorded six total tackles in a 31–23 win. In the Divisional Round against the New Orleans Saints, Winfield recorded six total tackles as well as forced a fumble on tight end
Jared Cook Jared Alan Cook (born April 7, 1987) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of South Carolina and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He has ...
that was recovered by teammate
Devin White Devin Marcel White (born February 17, 1998) is an American football linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU, and was drafted by the Buccaneers fifth overall in the 2019 NF ...
during the 30–20 win. Winfield injured his ankle during practice in the week leading up to the NFC Championship against the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
and was forced to miss the game, however the Buccaneers defeated the Packers 31–26 to advance. Winfield was fit enough to start
Super Bowl LV Super Bowl LV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2020 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the American Football Conferen ...
, where he recorded six tackles and intercepted a pass thrown by
Patrick Mahomes Patrick Lavon Mahomes II (born September 17, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). The son of former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Pat Mahomes, he initially played co ...
in the 31–9 victory over the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...
. Winfield covered Chiefs wide receiver
Tyreek Hill Tyreek or Tyreke is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Tyreek Burwell (born 1992), American football player *Tyreek Duren (born 1991), American basketball player *Tyreke Evans (born 1989), American basketball player *Tyreek Hill ( ...
on two targets, recording a pass breakup and an interception on both targets, allowing a 0.0 passer rating. Winfield also garnered attention when near the end of the game he taunted Hill using Hill's signature peace sign celebration after a fourth down incompletion, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Winfield's taunt was reportedly in retaliation for the Week 12 regular season game where the Chiefs defeated the Buccaneers 27-24 in Tampa Bay, where Hill flashed the peace sign after beating Winfield for a touchdown and also for Hill's backflip celebration after scoring another touchdown.


2021 season

In Week 4, during a 19–17 win over the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
, Winfield recorded 7 total tackles, 1 pass deflection, 1 forced fumble, and 1 interception before suffering a concussion that forced him to leave the game as well as miss the Buccaneers's next 2 games. Winfield returned in Week 7 during 38–3 rout of the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
, in which he recorded 3 total tackles, 1 forced fumble, and his first sack of the season. In Week 10, during a 29–19 loss to the
Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...
, Winfield recorded 11 total tackles and 1 fumble recovery. In Week 11, during a 30–10 victory over the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
, Winfield recorded 3 total tackles, 1 pass deflection, and 1 fumble recovery. In Week 12, during a 38-31 victory over the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
, Winfield recorded 5 total tackles, 1 pass deflection, and 1 interception. In Week 14, during a 33–27 overtime victory against the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
, Winfield recorded 9 total tackles before suffering a foot injury that forced him to leave the game and miss the following 2 games. Winfield returned in Week 17, during a 28–24 comeback victory over the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
, in which he recorded 8 total tackles. In Week 18, during a 41–17 win against the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
, Winfield recorded 8 total tackles, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 sack. Winfield finished the 2021 regular season with 88 combined tackles, 2 sacks, 6 deflections, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries.


2021 postseason

In the Wild Card Round of the
2021–22 NFL playoffs The National Football League playoffs for the 2021 season. This was the first time that the league featured a 17-game regular season schedule, and consequently the start of the playoffs was pushed a week later to January 15, 2022. The postseason ...
against the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
, Winfield recorded 5 total tackles and 1 sack as the Buccaneers won 31–15. In the Divisional Round against the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
, Winfield recorded 9 total tackles as well as forced a fumble on Rams running back
Cam Akers Cam Akers (born June 22, 1999) is an American football running back for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State, and was drafted by the Rams in the second round of the 2020 NFL Dra ...
which Winfield himself recovered near the Buccaneers own goal line at the end of the 1st half, but gave up a key 44–yard reception to Rams WR
Cooper Kupp Cooper Douglas Kupp (born June 15, 1993) is an American football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Washington, where he won the Walter Payton Award as a junior, ...
late in the 4th quarter which put Rams kicker
Matt Gay Matt Gay (born March 15, 1994) is an American football placekicker for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Utah, and was drafted in the fifth round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2019 NF ...
in range to convert a game winning 30–yard field goal, as the Rams defeated the Buccaneers 30–27 to eliminate them from the playoffs and end their season. On January 26, 2022, Winfield earned his first career
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...
selection after being named as an injury replacement for
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
safety
Quandre Diggs Quandre Diggs (born January 22, 1993) is an American football free safety for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas, and was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round of the 2015 NF ...
.


NFL career statistics


Regular season


Postseason


Personal life

Winfield's father, Antoine Sr., played in the NFL for 14 seasons with the Buffalo Bills and the Minnesota Vikings. Antoine Jr., was born in
Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
while his father attended
Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
. His mother Erniece Winfield also attended Ohio State.


References


External links


Tampa Bay Buccaneers bioMinnesota Golden Gophers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winfield, Antoine Jr. 1998 births Living people People from The Woodlands, Texas Players of American football from Texas Sportspeople from Harris County, Texas American football safeties Minnesota Golden Gophers football players All-American college football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players