The 2024 season came to a screeching halt for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they lost a closely contested Wild Card playoff game to the Washington Commanders not even two weeks ago after suffering through a season that saw them continuously fight through adversity. The season can’t be looked at as a complete loss, however, as this Bucs’ squad showed major resilience and putting together building blocks for their upward trend.
With this season now in the past, the Buccaneers will turn the page towards the 2025 offseason where they will look for numerous resolutions to the issues that afflicted them throughout 2024. While much of the attention will be paid to the defensive side of the ball for new additions, the offense will likely stay familiar.
Even though the offense will likely be returning much of their 2024 production, there are bound to be new pieces. However, the Buccaneers could look to extend one of their guys on that side of the ball, and according to ESPN that is exactly what they will do with right tackle Luke Goedeke as they listed the potential re-signing as both the Bucs’ “under-the-radar” move and “big prediction” for the offseason.
“Re-sign right tackle Luke Goedeke,” wrote ESPN Bucs Jenna Laine. “He has one year left on his rookie contract. But given the jump he made in his second year starting at the position with an 89.5% pass block win rate, the Bucs are going to want to lock him up with a new long-term deal early.”
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ESPN’s Jenna Laine believes this will be an underrated move by the Buccaneers and it is easy to see why as he has done a terrific job opposite Tristan Wirfs who made the move over the left tackle a couple of seasons ago. That’s something that analyst Ben Solak also pointed out when talking about the big prediction for the Bucs this offseason.
“A big extension will come down the mountain for Goedeke, who has become a rock-solid right tackle opposite Tristan Wirfs and is approaching the final year of his rookie deal,” Solak wrote. “Something in the range of the Spencer Brown deal (four years, $72 million) would be more than deserved. And after Goedeke’s extension is signed, the conversations with cornerback Zyon McCollum will begin.”
Goedeke, a former second-round pick by Tampa Bay in the 2022 NFL draft, will be off his rookie deal following the 2025 season and the franchise will likely want to get his extension buttoned up before his contract year begins. Goedeke has emerged as one of the top offensive linemen in the league and brings energy, character, and a level of toughness along the Bucs’ offensive line that is needed.
The continuity of an offensive line is perhaps the biggest thing for NFL offenses. Everything starts and ends there. Without a group that knows how to work together and mesh to create a harmonic offense, offenses can suffer and therefore not net the results that they had initially hoped for. The Buccaneers understand how important trench play is and it is becoming increasingly positive that they will get a deal done with their other pillar along the offensive line this offseason.