Contract Details For Recent Bucs Extensions Emerge

Cash and Cap Details By Year

2025 – $2,000,000 in new cash. Total cash is $5,406,000 fully guaranteed. $1,100,000 in base salary and $4,306,000 roster bonus that prorates. Cap charge reduces from $3,824,452 to $2,379,652.

2026 – $1,215,000 base salary fully guaranteed. $20,275,000 roster bonus that is fully guaranteed. That roster bonus is likely fully convertible into a prorated bonus. $510,000 in per game roster bonuses. Total cash is $22,000,000. Cap charge is $22,861,000, but if there is a full roster bonus conversion it will reduce to $6,641,200.

2027 – $21,490,000 base salary that fully guarantees on the 5th day of the 2026 league year. $510,000 in per game roster bonuses. Currently, his cap charge is set to be $22,861,000, but if the Bucs convert the 2026 roster bonus that number will go up to $26,916,000.

2028 – $21,490,000 base salary that fully guarantees on the 5th day of the 2026 league year. $510,000 in per game roster bonuses. Currently, his cap charge is set to be $22,861,000, but if the Bucs convert the 2026 roster bonus that number will go up to $26,916,000.

Assuming these actions unfold as such, the Bucs would likely not think of walking away from the deal if Goedeke's health or performance slip until 2028. At that point, they could save $8,112,000 in salary cap assuming they don't prorate any of Goedeke's 2027 salary.

2029 – $21,490,000 base salary that fully guarantees on the 5th day of the 2026 league year. $510,000 in per game roster bonuses. Currently, his cap charge is set to be $22,861,000, but if the Bucs convert the 2026 roster bonus that number will go up to $26,916,000.

If the Bucs do a full conversion on the 2026 roster bonus, they will incur a $4,055,000 dead cap charge in 2030.

Luke Goedeke's Deal Components Compared To Contemporaries

From a cashflow standpoint, Luke Goedeke's deal should be looked at in comparison to recent second contract tackle extensions in the same range of average per year salaries. Last year, the Bills extended right tackle Spencer Brown. And just weeks before Goedeke inked his deal, the Packers extended right tackle Zach Tom, while the Colts agreed to terms with left tackle Bernhard Raimann. The Bucs followed the model of the Bills in giving their pass protector a small bump in cash in the original year of contract signing. Because of that, Goedeke trails the group in cumulative cash flows for much of the life of their deals.

Other major markers that player contracts are compared by are guarantees. Those fall into three categories: full, total and practical. In this area Goedeke shows well, but not great in the most important of the three – practical guarantees. This represents the minimum amount of money a player is extremely likely to earn.

Zyon McCollum

Zyon McCollum's deal guarantees him $30 million in total, with $20 million fully locked in. His 2025 and 2026 salaries are fully guaranteed with two different trigger dates guaranteeing

Cash and Cap Details By Year

NFL teams tend to use similar principles with their large contracts. This rings true with McCollum's contract as it mimics Goedeke's in the year one new money cash flow. Full details:

2025 – $2,000,000 in new cash. Total cash is $5,406,000 fully guaranteed. $1,100,000 in base salary and $4,306,000 roster bonus that prorates. Cap charge reduces from $3,486,433 to $2,256,993.

2026 – $1,215,000 base salary fully guaranteed. $12,869,000 roster bonus that is fully guaranteed. That roster bonus is likely fully convertible into a prorated bonus. $510,000 in per game roster bonuses.  Total cash is $14,594,000. Cap charge is $15,670,500, but if there is a full roster bonus conversion it will reduce to $5,375,300.

2027 – $14,896,000 base salary, of which $7,400,000 fully guarantees on the 5th day of the 2026 league year. The remainder fully guarantees on the 5th day of the 2027 league year. $510,000 in per game roster bonuses. Currently, his cap charge is set to be $16,482,500, but if the Bucs convert the 2026 roster bonus that number will go up to $19,056,300.

2028 – $15,490,000 base salary. $510,000 in per game roster bonuses. Currently, his cap charge is set to be $17,076,500, but if the Bucs convert the 2026 roster bonus that number will go up to $19,650,300.

If the team opts to not prorate the 2026 roster bonus, there is a world where they could cut McCollum before the fifth day of the 2027 league year without a major cap catastrophe. In that scenario, they would still incur a dead cap charge of $9,553,000 but still be able to save $6,929,500 in salary cap. However, if they prorate the 2026 signing bonus they are essentially fully committing to 2027 with the young cornerback. Under those circumstances a cut, even if prior to the ever-important fifth day of the 2027 league year trigger date, would ballon the dead cap hit to $19,848,200 and turn the cap effect into a $3,875,700 penalty.

It's not an impossible scenario if McCollum's play or health fall off. NFL teams these days are more interested in saving actual money paid out when making decisions on players than they are with the salary cap implications. But it does make it less likely.

If the Bucs do a full conversion on the 2026 roster bonus, they will incur a $5,147,600 dead cap charge in 2029.

Zyon McCollum's Deal Components Compared To Contemporaries

Zyon McCollum's deal is unique in that the only three-year extension signed by a second contract corner in recent history is Derek Stingley Jr. who reset the positional market at $30 million per year. Due to the large difference in annual salary, the two players are not true comps. The other players who have signed for between $15 and $20 million per year recently have been either third contract players (Charvarious Ward, Carlton Davis, Byron Murphy, D.J. Reed) or ones who signed for more years (Tyson Campbell, Christian Benford, Deommodore Lenoir). The closest comp to McCollum's deal is Paulson Adebo's three-year contract with the New York Giants.

Comparing the two in terms of cash flow isn't quite a one-for-one venture. Adebo's deal was for a straight three years, whereas McCollum's was an extension where he receives new money in four total years. Still, Adebo paces McCollum throughout their deals in this regard.

Now, while Adebo has his cash more front-loaded, McCollum matches him well in practical guarantees.

All of this to say that the Bucs have structured both deals to be fair, but not necessarily strong for their players, while also working within the constraints of an ownership group that does not spend cash near the top of the league outside of a two-year stretch during the Tom Brady years. Both the Luke Goedeke and Zyon McCollum contracts pay each player at market rate with solid, if not amazing, cashflow and guarantees.