TAMPA — Kindle Vildor has made a lot of good plays during his five NFL seasons. But it’s a calamitous one he didn’t secure in the NFC Championship game following the 2023 season that he may be best known for.The Lions were leading the 49ers by two touchdowns with just over six minutes remaining in the third quarter when San Francisco’s Brock Purdy threw deep to Brandon Aiyuk. The pass was overthrown but ricocheted off Vildor’s facemask and into Aiyuk’s arms.The 51-yard gain to the Lions 4 set up a 6-yard TD pass to Aiyuk, and the 49ers rallied to win 34-31. “I know what happened,” Vildor said at the time. “It’s still crazy to me. But, shoot, we’ve moved on now.” Vildor, now 27, is moving onto to a new team, agreeing Thursday to a one-year, veteran salary benefit contract with the Bucs worth $1.17 million. Tampa Bay is always looking for cornerback help.It lost its leading special teams tackler, Tavierre Thomas, when the defensive back signed a one-year deal with Minnesota Wednesday. While Thomas played mostly nickel/safety and was a special teams standout, Vildor is strictly a cornerback who can play some nickel.Last season, he made 16 tackles for the Lions but was one of the few players in their secondary to appear in all 17 games (two starts).
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