Wirtel played college football at Iowa State, and originally signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
In his junior year, Wirtel once again played in all 13 games, and began to assume the role of long snapper for every aspect of special teams.
Wirtel remained on the Lions' practice squad throughout the entirety of the 2020 NFL season and was waived in the subsequent offseason.
[9] He was signed to the active roster on November 5, 2021, replacing the recently released Hunter Bradley.
[10] He made his first appearance in an NFL game two days later, in a 13–7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.