It’s not hard to see why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seem like they might have to play some sort of shell game to field a roster in 2025 — they have a whopping 25 potential free agents and just $11.7 million in salary cap space , as of January 16.
While there are ways to generate more cap space — mostly through a convoluted series of restructured contracts — remember the Buccaneers made 2 players the highest paid in the NFL at their positions before the 2024 season with contract extensions for free safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (4 years, $84.1 million) and left offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (5 years, $140.6 million).
That means, at least for 2025, more big-time contract extensions should be off the table, which includes tight end Cade Otton.
Otton is set to make $3.3 million in 2025 — the final season of the 4-year, $4.49 million rookie contract he signed in 2022. Any new deal for Otton would likely put him among the Top 10 highest paid tight ends in the NFL at a point in his career when he’s barely shown he can be a Top 20 tight end.
“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.
Otton Had Breakout Season in 2024 … Kind Of
Otton had career highs of 59 receptions and 600 yards in 2024 and matched his career high with 4 touchdowns and did so while missing 3 games with a knee injury.
Those numbers put Otton 14th among NFL tight ends in receiving yards, 13th in receptions and 12th in receiving touchdowns — hardly elite — and he didn’t score a touchdown past Week 9 For all the credit Otton received for helping keep Tampa Bay’s offense afloat while the Bucs while wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were out, a closer look begs the question of … did he, really?
Otton’s 3 best receiving games in 2024 were against the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers — all losses. When truly elite tight ends play their best, their teams usually win. That should still be part of the equation when it comes to who gets paid the most.
Franchise Tag Could Be Option for Otton in 2026
The transition franchise tag designation for tight ends is set at $12 million for 2025 — that’s where the Bucs can match contract offers. 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 re-sets the market in 2027.
With those numbers in mind, giving Otton the transition tag for 2026 would likely mean presumably paying him for one year instead of 3 years at around $12.5 million — a much more sensible number to commit to with Otton’s production to this point.
There is one way in which Otton could guarantee he gets paid — putting up numbers that show he’s a Top 10 tight end in 2025. If he does that, then it’s a no-brainer for the Buccaneers or another team to pay Otton big money in 2026, which could even mean the Chiefs if Travis Kelce decides to play one more season.
