The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the majority of their star players locked up for the foreseeable future with lucrative contract extensions … with a few notable exceptions.
One of those exceptions is a player who might just be turning into a star with tight end Cade Otton, who is headed into the final season of his 4-year, $7 million rookie contract in 2025.
Otton is coming off a breakout season in 2024 in which he had career highs in receptions (59), receiving yards (600), touchdowns (4) and yards per catch (10.1) and is a player the Buccaneers might need in place for their long term plans.
Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti thinks the franchise should move to secure his services for the foreseeable future with a “Last Minute” 3-year, $35 million contract extension — decent money but still below the rate of the NFL’s highest paid tight ends.
San Francisco 49ers NFL All-Pro George Kittle is the NFL’s highest paid tight end on a 4-year, $76.4 million contract which pays him exactly $19.1 million per year.
“The numbers don’t jump off of the page, and you won’t find Otton in very many Top TE rankings, but to this Bucs offense (and Baker Mayfield specifically), there’s more than enough worth and value to consider him for the future,” Ginnitti wrote on August 9. “The 4th rounder is owed $3.6M in his contract season.”
Buccaneers Have Few Big Contracts Looming
The Buccaneers really only have one really gigantic contract looming on the horizon with quarterback Baker Mayfield, but that’s not going to happen until after the season is over.
Tampa Bay might be smart to wait on Otton’s new contract to see if he can level up his play in 2025. Waiting might actually drive the price down in this case.
Otton had 323 receiving yards in a 5-game stretch for the Buccaneers in 2024 in which they were missing wide receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans due to injuries. With another (hopefully) elite wide receiver entered into the mix with first round pick Emeka Egbuka, Otton’s numbers could dip considerably.
That means instead of paying him a 3-year, $35 million contract, the deal for Otton could look more like a 4-year, $35 million contract if Tampa Bay waits.
The key is the Buccaneers don’t pay Otton like he’s an elite tight end until he proves he is. Which he hasn’t.
“Otton is projected to sign a 4-YEAR, $50-MILLION CONTRACT, he had 59 receptions in 14 games. Otton, 25, has been a reliable target in Tampa’s offense this season & they could look to lock him up,” MLFootball wrote on its official X account on January 8.
Franchis Tag Still An Option For Buccaneers
The Buccaneers might be smart to hit Otton with a non-exclusive franchise tag after the season. That would likely pay him somewhere between $12.5 million to $13 million for 2026. It’s safe to assume that number isn’t going to go up in any remarkable way until Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers will change the market in 2027.
The Buccaneers aren’t scared to use the franchise tag, although it usually means an extension is on the way. In 2024, they used the franchise tag on safety Antoine Winfield Jr. just a few months before he signed a 4-year, $84.1 million extension.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Buccaneers Urged To Drop $35 Million on ‘Last Minute’ Contract Extension appeared first on Heavy Sports.