The Bucs have made moves consistently since the end of the 2024 regular season. Whether that was shuffling the deck of assistant coaches on both sides of the football, adding players through free agency or the draft, and promoting key members of the front office. Even during summer break, they are still making deals — with head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht getting extensions.

There is always the possibility of another move coming out of nowhere, like where Bowles and Licht’s new contracts came from. ESPN’s Aaron Schatz recently laid out a move every NFL team should still look to make before the beginning of the 2025 regular season.

Fans will like what Schatz has proposed for Tampa Bay.

Extending Luke Goedeke Should Be One Of Bucs’ Biggest Priorities

Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo was on the Pewter Report Podcast this week talking about the contract extensions that might be coming soon for the Bucs. The upcoming deals that need to be ironed out first are the team’s 2022 draft picks. Tight end Cade Otton and cornerback Zyon McCollum have come a long way since being Day 3 picks and have turned into reliable starters that will need to be paid accordingly.

As much as Otton and McCollum are deserving of more money in the tens of millions of dollars, so is 2022 second-round pick Luke Goedeke. Goedeke has become an above-average starter at right tackle over the past two seasons and will command the largest contract of the three. Here is what Schatz had to say about Tampa Bay extending one of its young offensive linemen long-term.

Bucs RT Luke Goedeke – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Tristan Wirfs is the anchor of the Tampa Bay offensive line, but Goedeke has been playing very well recently. Last season, he ranked 27th among qualifying tackles in pass block win rate (89.5%) and was above average in run block win rate (75.3%). Goedeke has one year left on his rookie contract, so it would be good for the Bucs to lock him in long term.

While he took time to point out Goedeke’s pass and run block win rates, other advanced metrics hold the 26-year-old in a similar light. Over the past two seasons, Goedeke has graded as the 27th-best offensive tackle in football (among left and right tackles) per Pro Football Focus. He has proven to be consistent and a key component of what has become one of the best offensive lines in football. Known for being best friends with left tackle Tristan Wirfs and sharing a special bond with quarterback Baker Mayfield, his best football is ahead of him.

Bucs Will Need To Give Luke Goedeke A Substantial Payday

What price tag will paying Luke Goedeke carry?

With Goedeke being 26 years old, one can assume he will hit his prime in the coming years and remain productive into his early 30s, barring no injury setbacks. With that in mind, Josh Queipo predicted a five-year, $107.5 million extension being in the ballpark.

There are plenty of factors that hold considerable weight when examining what the deal might look like. One recent comparable contract that might come up at the negotiating table is one that was given to Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neill in 2020. One can expect Goedeke to follow a similar career arc, one that has seen O’Neill be a stalwart along Minnesota’s offensive line while being selected to two Pro Bowls.

Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs and RT Luke Goedeke – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

At the time, O’Neill got a five-year extension for $92.5 million, averaging $18.5 million per year with $22,576,118 fully guaranteed. The Bucs have not been shy giving a five-year extension to a tackle before, doling out a record-setting $140.63 million to Tristan Wirfs last offseason.

On August 1st, to be exact.

If Goedeke were to get a cap-inflated deal using O’Neill’s as a basis, he would see the APY rise from O’Neill’s $18.5 million to $25 million per year. Such a deal would make him the second-highest paid right tackle in the NFL, trailing only Penei Sewell of the Detroit Lions.

As fans and teams alike know, it is hard to find starting-caliber offensive linemen. Once you acquire them, it is very hard to let them go. That is why locking in one starting piece upfront for the next half-decade makes a lot of sense.

When it happens is to be determined, but do not rule out something coming to fruition sooner rather than later.

Watch Pewter Report Discuss Potential Bucs’ Contract Extensions

To hear Josh Queipo’s full analysis of potential contract extensions for Luke Goedeke, Cade Otton, Zyon McCollum, and even Baker Mayfield, check out his appearance on the Pewter Report Podcast earlier this week with Scott Reynolds and Matt Matera. You can watch it below on our PewterReportTV YouTube channel: