If you’re looking for a common thread among the NFL’s elite teams, it’s that they don’t go cheap on the offensive line.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one of those teams, with 5 consecutive playoff appearances, including a Super Bowl win following the 2020 season. Now, for the second year in a row, they’ve delivered a massive payday to one of their elite offensive linemen.
“The #Bucs have agreed to terms with their standout OT Luke Goedeke, as he gets a 4-year, $90M deal — $22.5M APY — that includes $50M guaranteed,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account on September 2. “Tampa Bay locks up another key O-lineman.”
Goedeke’s new deal makes him the third highest paid right offensive tackle in the NFL behind Detroit’s Penei Sewell ($28.1 million APY) and Philadelphia’s Lane Johnson ($25 million APY).
“Breaking: The #Bucs and RT Luke Goedeke have agreed to a 4-year, extension, per multiple sources,” NFL reporter Jordan Schultz wrote on his official X account. “The former 2nd-round pick has become a key piece on Tampa Bay’s offensive line, and now gets a well-earned payday.”
Tampa Bay signed NFL All-Pro left offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs to a 4-year, $140.6 million contract extension in August 2024, which remains the largest contract for an offensive lineman in NFL history.
From Division III to MAC to NFL Stardom
Goedeke, 6-foot-5 and 312 pounds, had an unusual path to cashing in on NFL riches.
The native of tiny Whitelaw, Wisconsion (pop. 732), started his college career as a tight end at NCAA Division III Wisconsin-Stevens Point before he transferred to Central Michigan, where he switched positions to offensive tackle and was an All-MAC selection in 2021.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein projected Goedeke as a second or third round pick in his pre-draft evaluation. The Buccaneers selected Goedeke in the second round (No. 57 overall) of the 2022 NFL draft.
“Goedeke is a rancorous run blocker with a talent for rooting opponents off the spot,” Zierlein wrote in 2022. “He balances a surly field demeanor with above-average technique and frequently sustains and finishes the block like an NFL veteran … his strengths profile well as a good starter with the ability to make an impact sooner rather than later.”
Zierlein’s take was prescient. Goedeke started 8 out of 11 games as a rookie, started all 17 games in 2023 and started 13 games in 2024, when he sat out 4 games early in the season due to a concussion.
There’s little Goedeke doesn’t do well on a football field, and in 2024 his 73.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus put him 30th among 140 eligible players at his position.
Buccaneers Dealing With Injury Issues On Offense
The Buccaneers are dealing with serious injury issues on the offensive side of the ball headed into their regular season opener at the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, September 7, where they’ll be without Wirfs (knee), NFL All-Pro wide receiver Chris Godwin (ankle) and wide receiver Jalen McMillan (neck).
Those injuries don’t have easy fixes, either. Both Wirfs and Godwin could miss the first 4 games. McMillan isn’t projected to return until Week 9.
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