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Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Luke Goedeke.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to start catching some breaks this offseason.
They just caught a big one thanks to one of their highest-paid players.
“The Buccaneers converted Luke Goedeke’s $20M roster bonus into signing bonus, clearing $15.2M of 2026 cap space,” Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti wrote on his official X account on Monday.
Goedeke, 6-foot-5 and 312 pounds, received a massive payday from the Buccaneers right before the start of the 2025 regular season.
“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.”
The Buccaneers showed they might be moving toward another addition via free agency after clearing up space with 2 large contracts.
“With their FA signings becoming official the Bucs recently completed two restructures for RT Luke Goedeke and CB Zyon McCollum,” Sleeper Bucs wrote on its official X account. “This move created about $26 million in new 2026 cap space with cap hits now spread out between 2027-30.”
Massive Payday Followed by Crushing Injury News
The 27-year-old Goedeke’s massive payday was followed by some equally crushing news for the Buccaneers after he landed on injured reserve with a foot injury suffered in a Week 2 win over the Houston Texans.
Goedeke missed a career-high 6 games due to the injury but returned to finish the season with a 75.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, showing he was still 1 of the NFL’s elite players at his position.
In his first 4 seasons, Goedeke has started 49 out of a possible 52 career games after becoming a full-time starter 6 weeks into his rookie season.
While Goedeke’s play didn’t show a decline after he returned from his foot injury, the overall season was a mess for the Buccaneers, who finished 8-9 overall and missed the playoffs for the 1st time since 2019.
Goedekde’s Path: NCAA Division III, MAC, NFL
Goedeke took an unusual path to cashing in on NFL riches.
The native of tiny Whitelaw, Wisconsin (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 2nd or 3rd 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.”
Goedeke wasn’t the only player on the Buccaneers’ offensive line who struggled with injury issues in 2025. Starting guard Cody Mauch missed 15 games after he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2.
NFL All-Pro left offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, widely considered the game’s elite offensive lineman and the NFL’s highest-paid offensive tackle, missed a career-high 5 games due to a knee injury, including 3 games to open the regular season.
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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