Buccaneers Contract Updates: Goedeke, McCollum, FA Signings
The Buccaneers restructured the contracts of right tackle Luke Goedeke and cornerback Zyon McCollum to clear up cap space for their new free agent signings.
Goedeke was due a $20.275MM roster bonus at beginning of the league year that was not guaranteed in his original contract. Tampa Bay converted it to a guaranteed roster bonus, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, which allows them to prorate the cap obligations like a signing or option bonus. This saved $16.2MM in cap space with a $4.05MM added to the remaining four years of the contract, which now has one new void year.
The Buccaneers executed a similar move with McCollum, who was due a $12.87MM roster bonus that was guaranteed and prorated across the remainder of the contract. That reduced the veteran cornerback’s 2026 cap hit by $10.3MM with increases of $2.57MM in each of the next four seasons, including two new void years.
The moves created a total of $26.5MM in 2026 cap space, allowing Tampa Bay to process its free agency signings while budgeting for their rookie class.
Here are some contract details on those new signings:
- Initially reported as a fully guaranteed deal, A’Shawn Robinson‘s $10MM contract has $9.15MM in guarantees. The remaining $850K will be paid out in the form of a per game roster bonus (via OverTheCap), giving him $50K for every game for which he is active.
- The base value of edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad‘s deal is $4MM with $2.5MM guaranteed, Wilson reports.
- The Buccaneers retained safety and special teams ace Miles Killebrew on a one-year, $1.79MM deal. According to Wilson, the agreement includes $490K in guaranteed money with a $1.3MM salary.
- Tight end Ko Kieft received $413K in guarantees on his one-year, $1.65MM deal, per Wilson. His salary is set at $1.46MM.
- New backup quarterback Jake Browning signed a one-year, $1.3MM deal with $400K guaranteed, per OverTheCap.
- Former Rams and Panthers linebacker Christian Rozeboom has a base value of $1.55MM with upside to $2.15MM, according to FOX Sports’ Greg Auman. His playtime incentives offer him $100k for a 40% snap share, $200k for 50%, and 300k for 60%.
- Wide receiver Sterling Shepard was a healthy scratch at the end of the 2025 season, leaving him just short of two incentives worth $125k each. The Buccaneers decided to pay out those bonuses anyway, along with an additional $250K, per Auman.
Buccaneers Activate Luke Goedeke From IR
After returning to practice on Nov. 3, Buccaneers right tackle Luke Goedeke is already set to rejoin their lineup. The team announced that it has activated Goedeke from injured reserve. Goedeke is now eligible to play against the Patriots on Sunday.
The Buccaneers have gone without Goedeke since he aggravated a foot injury in a Week 2 win over the Texans. The team has since welcomed back left tackle Tristan Wirfs from offseason knee surgery. He and Goedeke are now set to bookend the Bucs’ line for the first time this year. That’s excellent news for a unit that lost right guard Cody Mauch to a season-ending knee injury in mid-September.
Injuries have torn through the Buccaneers’ offense this season, but they’re still 6-2 and in first place in the NFC South. Quarterback Baker Mayfield has offered an MVP-level performance despite the long-term absences of Goedeke, Wirfs, wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and running back Bucky Irving, among others.
The return of Goedeke should make life easier on Mayfield. A second-round pick in 2022 and a former tackle at Central Michigan, Goedeke spent most of his rookie year at guard. He made a full-time transition to tackle in his second season and hasn’t looked back. Goedeke started in all 30 of his appearances from 2023-24, leading the Buccaneers to hand him a four-year, $90MM extension this past September.
To make room for Goedeke, the Buccaneers waived safety Sebastian Castro. Signed off the Steelers’ practice squad in late September, the undrafted rookie from Iowa picked up one tackle in his lone appearance with the Buccaneers in Week 6.
In other Saturday moves, the Bucs elevated linebackers Nick Jackson and Mohamed Kamara from their practice squad for Sunday’s game. Jackson, another undrafted rookie from Iowa, is in line for his season debut. This is the second elevation of the season for Kamara, who played in five games with the Dolphins as a fourth-round rookie last year. Those two are up with the Buccaneers having ruled out LBs Haason Reddick and Markees Watts for Week 10.
Bucs Designate RT Luke Goedeke For Return
The Buccaneers have continued to withstand body blows on offense, but they may be getting some help after the bye. Tampa Bay will see right tackle Luke Goedeke back at practice this week.
Down since aggravating a foot injury in Week 2, Goedeke received a return designation, according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud. This injury came before the spree of skill-position maladies — affecting Mike Evans, Bucky Irving, Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka — to plague the NFC South leaders. A Goedeke return would help a Bucs O-line that has missed other pieces at points.
While Goedeke has been sidelined, the Bucs lost right guard Cody Mauch for the season. They have yet to deploy Goedeke and starting left tackle Tristan Wirfs in a game together this season, with the All-Pro not debuting until Goedeke landed on IR. Having that duo back together would give Tampa Bay four of its five starting O-linemen — along with left guard Ben Bredeson and center Graham Barton — together. This would certainly benefit Baker Mayfield, whose MVP push has included a shorthanded squad throughout.
Goedeke made a second-year move from guard to tackle, and his work on the edge moved him into position to secure a late-summer extension. The Bucs gave Goedeke a four-year, $90MM extension, locking him in through the 2029 season a year after extending Wirfs through 2030 at a then-record tackle rate. The Bucs have 21 days to activate Goedeke, and it certainly sounds like the team will have him available soon.
Tampa Bay is hoping to have Evans back at some point in December; the future Hall of Fame wideout suffered a broken clavicle last month. The team has not used IR for Godwin or Irving, but each has missed extensive time. Irving has been out for four games with foot and shoulder injuries, while Godwin — who did not debut until Week 5 due to his fractured ankle — has missed the past three contests with a fibula issue. Neither is assured to be back for Week 10, but the running back and wide receiver landing on IR remains a positive sign regarding near-future returns.
While Evans’ reemergence is a long way off, the Bucs could have nine of their 11 offensive starters back fairly soon. Goedeke, who will turn 27 this month, has started 40 career games. This will be his third season as a Wirfs bookend, with the Bucs having kicked the standout to left tackle in 2023. That duo helped Mayfield stabilize his career, and the resurgent quarterback having played well without several key pieces on offense bodes well for his form when most are back.
Buccaneers Place Luke Goedeke On IR, Promote Luke Haggard
As expected, Luke Goedeke will miss considerable time. The Buccaneers are moving their starting right tackle to injured reserve, Fox Sports’ Greg Auman reports. The news is now official, per a team announcement.
Goedeke exited Tampa Bay’s Week 2 win with a foot injury. As of Tuesday, it was unclear how long he would be sidelined for. Today’s move ensures at least a four-game absence, however, so the Buccaneers will shorthanded to an even larger extent for the time being.
Left tackle Tristan Wirfs continues to recover from offseason meniscus surgery. His season debut could take place around Week 5. Meanwhile, right guard Cody Mauch will miss the remainder of the campaign due to a knee injury. Losing Goedeke for an extended period marks another blow for Tampa Bay up front.
The Buccaneers have relied on center Graham Barton at left tackle with Wirfs sidelined. Charlie Heck – who originally appeared to be in position to handle fill-in duties on the blindside – stepped in at right tackle following Goedeke’s injury on Monday. That setup will likely continue moving forward. Getting Goedeke back as soon as possible will be critical given Tampa’s other ailments up front, but also the team’s recent $90MM investment in the 26-year-old.
The Buccaneers have already added Dan Feeney to the offensive line mix today, along with a Sua Opeta reunion on the practice squad. Goedeke moving to injured reserve has opened up another spot on the active roster, and Auman notes Luke Haggard is being promoted from the taxi squad to fill it. Haggard spent last season on and off the practice squad; he did not make any regular season appearances.
That could soon change given this latest injury news for the Buccaneers’ offensive line. Multiple replacements will be counted on in the starting lineup, and Tampa Bay’s depth up front will be worth watching closely. Wirfs could be back in the fold relatively soon, something which would represent a massive boost to the Bucs. When that happens, though, it seems likely Goedeke will still be sidelined.
Bucs’ Luke Goedeke Expected To Miss Time; Latest On Tristan Wirfs
The Buccaneers managed to defeat the two-time reigning AFC South champion Texans without either of their starting tackles. Their backups helped Baker Mayfield withstand a strong pass rush, headlined by Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, in a last-second win.
Tristan Wirfs is on his way back from offseason knee surgery, but the team appears unlikely to have right tackle Luke Goedeke available when Wirfs returns. Goedeke left Monday night’s win with a foot injury, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who adds the recently extended tackle is expected to miss time.
Though, it is believed Goedeke avoided a serious injury. While he is still expected to miss time — potentially multiple games — Fowler describes this setback as an aggravation of a previous malady. With it not known if even multiple absences will be required, Goedeke may be a good bet to avoid IR.
Tampa Bay did not use the reserve/PUP list for Wirfs, who would have been sidelined for at least four games in that scenario. The team may also be comfortable carrying Goedeke on its 53-man roster in the event he will be ready to return over the next month. A Goedeke IR placement would sideline him until Week 7. The Bucs have home games against the Jets and Eagles over the next two weeks; they then face the Seahawks and 49ers in Weeks 6 and 7.
Goedeke signed a four-year, $90MM extension just before the season. The 2022 second-round pick made a promising transition from guard to tackle earlier in his career and secured a spot in Tampa Bay’s long-term plans in doing so. The Bucs now have Goedeke and Wirfs signed long term. The latter remains the NFL’s second-highest-paid offensive lineman. Pro Football Focus ranked Goedeke as a top-30 tackle in his first two seasons manning the Bucs’ right tackle spot.
The Bucs turned to Charlie Heck at RT once Goedeke went down. The team had previously passed on using Heck in place of Wirfs, having seen Graham Barton — a center prospect who finished his Duke career at left tackle — play well on the blind side early in training camp. While the Bucs’ first instinct was to use Heck as the Wirfs replacement, ESPN’s Dan Graziano indicates the team pivoted after setting its initial 53-man roster and decided the Barton-at-LT plan would be the Week 1 path. This moved Ben Bredeson to center and Michael Jordan to left guard. That alignment remained in place Monday night.
Wirfs began practicing last week, and while the Bucs kept him on their 53-man roster to open the season, it is possible he does not suit up until Week 5 anyway. Wirfs said (via Fox Sports’ Greg Auman) the goal is a Week 5 reemergence. The standout tackle said he could return sooner — a scenario GM Jason Licht alluded to previously — but it appears Week 5 represents the tentative plan.
Wirfs underwent surgery in early July — for an MCL injury that produced lingering effects — and was slated to miss regular-season time. Tampa Bay keeping him off the reserve/PUP list brought an encouraging development, and it should not be long until he debuts this season. For the time being, though, a Barton-Heck tackle tandem will be in place as the team attempts to move its record to 3-0.
Buccaneers To Extend RT Luke Goedeke
The Buccaneers are signing right tackle Luke Goedeke to a four-year contract extension, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
The deal is worth $90MM with $50MM guaranteed, per Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Goedeke’s $22.5MM APY is a slight increase on the deal signed by the Packers’ Zach Tom last month, making him the third-highest-paid right tackle and the 11th-highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL.
Goedeke was a two-year starter at right tackle for Central Michigan before the Buccaneers made him a second-round pick in 2022. He earned the starting left guard job out of training camp as a rookie, but struggled to adapt to the new position and was benched after Week 7. He then started in Week 18 at right tackle before moving back to left guard for the playoffs.
Tampa Bay moved Goedeke back to his natural position in 2023. He started every game during the regular season with significantly-improved results, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). A concussion sidelined him for four games in 2024, but he put up a strong performance across the season and entrenched himself as the Buccaneers’ long-term right tackle. The team’s decision-makers have now formalized that role with a deal that will keep Goedeke in Tampa Bay through the 2029 season.
Goedeke was set to head into the final year of his rookie contract before today’s deal. With the improvement the 26-year-old has shown each year, it was prudent for the Buccaneers to lock him down now, as opposed to letting him show another level of play in a contract year that might price himself out of Tampa Bay. While Goedeke is getting a strong deal to stay with the team that drafted him, the open market after a strong 2025 campaign could’ve made Goedeke a truly expensive commodity.
Right guard Cody Mauch will be in a similar situation as Goedeke next offseason, after having finished his third year of play, then it will be center Graham Barton the year after that. Barton, a first-rounder last year, would technically have a fifth-year option available to push back any possible deadline on extensions, but with the way offensive linemen are priced the same regardless of position in fifth-year option formulas, centers hardly see those options exercised.
With left tackle Tristan Wirfs under contract through 2030 following his extension last year, the Buccaneers now have the bookends to their offensive line secured for the foreseeable future. If the team works to extend Mauch and Barton in the future, as well, it will have done quick work to secure 80 percent of their offensive line long term. With the way the league has been won in the trenches in recent years, this focus on offensive line building could be a recipe for success.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
Bucs GM Jason Licht On Tristan Wirfs, Luke Goedeke
MAY 10: Lending more to the notion Wirfs will be on the move, Bucs offensive line coach Joe Gilbert said (via Stroud) the left side of the team’s line looks fairly set with the All-Pro on the blind side and free agency pickup Matt Feiler at left guard. After three strong seasons at right tackle, Wirfs appears on the cusp of playing a more lucrative position as a big payday nears.
MAY 7: The Buccaneers have contemplated moving right tackle Tristan Wirfs, who has earned two Pro Bowls bids and one First Team All-Pro selection in his three years in the NFL, to the left side of the line. After the Bucs failed to acquire a left tackle in last month’s draft, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times wrote that Wirfs will officially be moving to LT.
GM Jason Licht, however, says that a final decision on Wirfs’ position has not been made just yet. On a recent appearance on 95.3 WDAE, Licht said, “Now we’re still going to remain fluid here in the offseason. We’re going to see how it goes. We certainly feel very comfortable with a person like Tristan, with his skillset and his athleticism and size and intelligence and all that, that [his transition to left tackle] is gonna be pretty seamless, but that hasn’t completely been etched in stone yet” (h/t JoeBucsFan.com).
Licht’s comments notwithstanding, it would seem that Wirfs, as Stroud indicated, is indeed ticketed for the blind side. At this stage of the offseason, the free agent left tackle options are generally uninspiring and include the likes of Eric Fisher (who did not play a snap in 2022), Jason Peters (who turned 41 in January), and Taylor Lewan (who has suffered two ACL tears in the past three years). Unless Wirfs sustains an injury or proves completely incapable of making the transition to LT, those players likely would not represent an upgrade.
Of course, assuming Wirfs does fill the void created when longtime left tackle Donovan Smith was released in March, someone will need to replace Wirfs at right tackle. Per Stroud, the first crack at that position will go to Luke Goedeke, a 2022 second-round choice. In his rookie season, Goedeke — who worked as a right tackle in college — spent the majority of his time at left guard and largely struggled.
The hope is that moving Goedeke back to RT will make him look more like a second-round draftee. He did line up at right tackle for last year’s regular season finale, and he looked much more comfortable there than he did as an interior blocker.
“We are excited about how Luke did for us at (right) tackle there at the end of the year — it’s his natural position,” Licht said.
It is unclear whether Licht made an effort to trade up from his No. 19 selection to land an OT. The Steelers moved up four spots from their No. 18 slot to nab Georgia LT Broderick Jones, and Licht passed on Oklahoma’s Anton Harrison when the Bucs were on the clock. While the Bucs did pick up North Dakota State tackle Cody Mauch on Day 2, Mauch will be converted to guard.
At present, Tampa Bay’s starting OL, from left to right, appears to be Wirfs, Nick Leverett, Ryan Jensen, Mauch, and Goedeke. That unit will be tasked with clearing more space for what was the league’s worst rushing attack in 2022 and affording presumptive QB1 Baker Mayfield sufficient time to throw.
Wirfs is already under club control through 2024 since Licht made the easy decision to exercise his fifth-year option. But if the Iowa product performs as well at left tackle as he has on the right side, his future earning power will get a significant boost.
Buccaneers Designate RB Giovani Bernard For Return
The Buccaneers offense could soon be getting some reinforcement. The team announced that they’ve designated running back Giovani Bernard to return from injured reserve. The Buccaneers now have three weeks to activate the running back to their active roster.
Bernard landed on injured reserve in September after suffering an ankle injury in Week 2. In his one-plus games this season, the 30-year-old exclusively played on special teams, including one kickoff return.
The RB hasn’t played a significant offensive role since joining the Buccaneers in 2021, as he finished his first season in Tampa Bay with only 181 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns on 31 touches. However, he’s only two years removed from a 2020 campaign that saw him finish with 771 yards from scrimmage. Leonard Fournette suffered a hip injury last week, but thanks to a Week 11 bye week, he should be good to go on Sunday. Rachaad White had a career day while filling in for Fournette, finishing with 105 rushing yards on 22 carries. Bernard made a name for himself as a pass-catcher in Cincinnati, and if Leonard’s hip injury lingers, the veteran could end up seeing more offensive snaps.
The Buccaneers got some more good injury news today, as guard Luke Goedeke and wideout Russell Gage returned to practice, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Gage has missed a month with a hamstring injury, and with the offseason acquisition now back on the field, Tom Brady will have a full grouping of wideouts heading into the final stretch of the season. Goedeke’s foot injury forced him to miss a chunk of time, and the veteran has since been jumped in the starting lineup by Nick Leverett.
Meanwhile, while safety Logan Ryan has been working out with the team, he still hasn’t been activated from injured reserve. The veteran defensive back’s foot surgery landed him on IR back in October.
Latest On Buccaneers Injuries
The Buccaneers are still dealing with their fair share of injuries, but the team could soon be welcoming back some key players. According to ESPN’s Jenna Laine, defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, cornerback Carlton Davis II, and cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting all practiced this week, a strong indication that they’re ready to return from their respective injuries.
Hicks has been sidelined since Week 2 while nursing a foot injury. The veteran defensive lineman started 77 games during his six seasons in Chicago before joining the Buccaneers this past offseason. He started each of Tampa’s first two games, collecting five total tackles. His return to the lineup will surely help a defensive line that has struggled against the run.
“It helps because it puts everybody back in their roles,” coach Todd Bowles said. “It puts everybody back in their roles and they can get the amount of time and play how they’re used to playing, and it helps us up front because it gives us a dimension we haven’t had over there.”
Davis had missed the past two games after aggravating a hip injury in Week 6. The 25-year-old started each of the Buccaneers’ first six games, collecting 31 tackles and four passes defended. Murphy-Bunting suffered a squad injury in Week 5 that forced him to miss a handful of games.
Of course, as mentioned, Tampa Bay still has a crowded injury list. Pro Bowl defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr. will be out tomorrow against the Rams, as will tight end Cameron Brate, left guard Luke Goedeke, and wide receiver Russell Gage.
Latest On Ryan Jensen, Buccaneers’ Deadline Plans
A recent report indicated that Buccaneers offensive lineman Ryan Jensen could make his return as soon as next week. However, Greg Auman of The Athletic is throwing some cold water on that idea, writing that Jensen “has only a small chance of returning from his knee injury.”
[RELATED: Ryan Jensen November Return In Play?]
The veteran center suffered a knee injury during training camp that was initially feared to be season-ending. Subsequent reports provided a bit more optimism about his prospects of returning during the 2022 regular season or playoffs, and his IR placement reflected that sentiment. A few weeks ago, there were whispers that the Buccaneers were hoping Jensen would be back on the field at some point in November, with the team specifically targeting a November 6th return. The team’s Week 11 bye could also be a target return date, but now it’s sounding like we shouldn’t count on an imminent return.
Jensen, who has started all 65 of his appearances since joining Tampa Bay in 2018, would naturally provide a boost to Tampa Bay’s offensive line, although the unit has generally ranked among the top-1o through the first chunk of the season. Pro Football Focus has generally ranked Jensen among the best centers in the NFL, and the veteran earned his first career Pro Bowl nod in 2021.
Auman discussed Jensen’s potential return in the context of Tampa Bay making a trade to upgrade their offensive line. Second-round guard Luke Goedeke has struggled so far in 2022, and backup Nick Leverett doesn’t have much of a track record. Both Jensen and his current fill-in, Robert Hainsey, are under contract for next season. While the team could look for a temporary upgrade for Goedeke, Auman opines that the organization would be better off pursuing a rental before having Goedeke and Hainsey compete for one of the guard spots opposite Shaq Mason in 2023.
Who could fit that bill? For starters, Auman suggests the team could look to deal from a position of strength and pursue another team’s depth piece. The writer also points to someone like Commanders guard Andrew Norwell, who doesn’t have any guaranteed money owed beyond this season. Panthers guard Austin Corbett is also an affordable option, although he’s under contract for the 2023 campaign.