Bucs Urged to Extend Tackle Dubbed ‘One of Most Underrated Linemen in the League’

The Buccaneers have one of the league’s best left tackles in Tristan Wirfs, who signed a record-setting 5-year extension last offseason. With the left side locked up for the foreseeable future, the Bucs hope that 4th-year right tackle Luke Goedeke can continue to improve this year.

If so, he has a solid chance to live up to quarterback Baker Mayfield‘s praise, as the Bucs QB dubbed Goedeke “one of the most underrated linemen in the league” last season. With training camp on the horizon, ESPN‘s Aaron Schatz proposed that the Bucs’ final move of the offseason should be to “lock him in long term.”

Long-Term Extension for Goedeke Would Bring Continuity to Offensive Line

Goedeke struggled through a “somewhat disappointing” rookie year at left guard, but recovered nicely in 2023 at left tackle. The 2nd-year lineman “made one of the biggest improvements in the NFL” that season, then finished as a top-10 pass blocking tackle (72.5 PFF grade) in 2024, according to PFF‘s Zoltán Buday.

“Goedeke has been nothing if not consistent since then, as he replicated his performance in 2024 with a 74.2 PFF overall grade, which once again ranked 27th at the position,” writes Buday. “The 3.2% pressure rate he allowed was the best clip of his career by a significant margin.”

The Bucs left tackle has improved considerably since his rookie year, jumping up to 27th in pass block win rate (89.5%) and finishing with an above-average run block win rate (75.3%), according to ESPN‘s Aaron Schatz.

“Goedeke has one year left on his rookie contract, so it would be good for the Bucs to lock him in long term,” writes Schatz.

Goedeke has paired well with Wirfs, forming “a fearsome tandem” on both sides of the Bucs offensive line, writes Buccaneers Staff Writer/Reporter Brianna Dix.

“With effective hand placement and leg drive, Goedeke set the tone against some of the NFL’s most lethal defensive ends,” writes Dix. “He pairs a stout anchor with the ability to uproot opponents in the run game.”

Goedeke Believes ‘Sky is the Limit’ for Bucs Offense in 2025

The Bucs offense has been ascending toward the top spot in the league for the last 5 years. Obviously, Tom Brady’s 3-year stint in Tampa Bay has played a significant role in that ascension.

During his time on the Bucs, Tampa Bay finished 7th, 2nd and 15th in total offense, but they dropped to 23rd in their first season without him. That likely has more to do with the fact that their rushing attack dropped to dead-last in the league.

But, this year, right tackle Luke Goedeke believes that the Bucs offense rising to the top of the league is a “reasonable goal, and one that truly is within the Buccaneers’ reach,” according to Buccaneers Senior Writer/Editor Scott Smith.

“I feel like the sky is the limit for our O-line and our offense as a whole,” he said after minicamp practice on Wednesday, according to Smith. “I’d like to see our offense as the best O-line and best offense in the National Football League. That’s the goal among every team but I would say we’re definitely a team [where] that’s definitely achievable. Everyone strives for that and that’s great and everything but I think the Bucs, here, as we stand today, they’re in a good spot to achieve that this year.”