Even though the 2026 NFL Draft is right around the corner, one of the biggest news stories is that Tristan Wirfs could be re-entering the world of wrestling, at least maybe.
After the former Oklahoma State national champion wrestler Wyatt Hendrickson defeated Trent Hillger by a score of 6-2, the former Cowboy called out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive lineman.
Buccaneers OL Tristan Wirfs Accepts Wrestling Challenge
After defeating Hillger, Hendrickson was interviewed by former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen. During the interview, Hendrickson said the following:
“I want to see some of the football players get up here. Tristan Wirfs is a big boy, but I want to challenge him here at RAF (Real American Freestyle), baby… that’s a big boy right there.”
In response to the callout and some instigation from Sonnen, Wirfs said the following:
“Yessir, you’re damn right. Listen, we know you beat Gable (Steveson), we know you’re Captain America, you ain’t wrestled 340, I know the Bucs wouldn’t have a problem with me whooping you… We’ll get out here, I’ll go get my singlet up, and we’ll scrap a little bit and I’ll take that belt home with me.”
Captain America calls out 4x NFL Pro-Bowl Offensive Lineman Tristan Wirfs of the Bucs, and he accepts! Wirfs was a 2017 Iowa 2A State Champion at Heavyweight. 💪🏼 #RAF07 pic.twitter.com/i3wIYIy45j
— The Wrestling Room (Pat Mineo) (@MrPatMineo) March 29, 2026
Although he didn’t compete in wrestling while at the University of Iowa, he won the state championship in 2017 for the heavyweight class while in school at Mount Vernon High School. He was also named an All-Iowa wrestler and the 2016-2017 All-Iowa Boys’ High School Athlete of the Year by the Des Moines Register.
While it would be fun to see Wirfs wrestle, there’s no way the Buccaneers would let it happen to one of their cornerstone players. The team drafted Wirfs with the 13th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and since then, he’s been a five-time Pro Bowler, a two-time All-Pro, and a Super Bowl champion in his rookie year.
In PFSN’s NFL Player Offensive Line Impact Metric, Wirfs ranked as the sixth-best individual lineman with an impact score of 89.8 and a letter grade of B+. He’s consistently one of the best linemen in the league, considering he had an impact score of 87.5 in 2020 (24th), 90.3 in 2021 (7th), 89.5 in 2022 (8th), 82.9 in 2023 (39th), and 83.0 in 2024 (36th).
In August 2024, the team signed him to a five-year extension for $140.63 million, which made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history at the time. However, he’s now the third-highest-paid lineman in the league behind Laremy Tunsil for the Washington Commanders and Rashawn Slater for the Los Angeles Chargers.
