The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could say goodbye to veteran tight end Cade Otton in free agency offseason, which seems like a good opportunity to upgrade at the position.
Pro Football Focus predicts the Buccaneers will draft Ohio State star Max Klare in the 3rd round (No. 77 overall) of the 2026 NFL draft to replace Otton.
Klare, 6-foot-5 and 243 pounds, has drawn comparisons in the past to 3-time Pro Bowl tight end and Super Bowl champion Zach Ertz.
In 2024, Klare was an All-Big Ten pick at Purdue with 51 receptions for 685 yards and 4 touchdowns in 12 games and transferred to Ohio State for his final season. He repeated as All-Big Ten with 43 receptions for 448 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2025 while playing around a gaggle of future NFL pass-catching talent, including possible 2027 NFL draft No. 1 overall pick wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.
“Max Klare is an explosive presence who uses route nuance and a great catch-to-attack mentality to create space for himself,” Bleacher Report’s Daniel Harms wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “The Ohio State offense hasn’t given him the platform to show what he can do, but the tape doesn’t lie.”
Otton Could Land Decent-Sized FA Contract
Otton’s career game (7 receptions, 94 yards, 1 touchdown) against the Carolina Panthers in the regular-season finale probably also served as his audition tape for NFL teams looking for a plug-and-play starter at tight end, of which there should be many.
It may have also priced Otton out of Tampa Bay’s plans for the future.
While Spotrac projects Otton’s next deal to be something in the realm of a 3-year, $23 million contract, what Otton showed in the final game of the year — and collectively over the last 2 years — might put him at something more in the realm of making $10 million per year vs. the $7.7 million he’s currently projected at.
“Cade Otton has so much potential to be elite,” Polymarket Football wrote on its official X account next to a video clip of Otton’s touchdown against the Panthers.
Otton entered the season finale against the Panthers with 52 receptions — the most receptions in the NFL without a touchdown to that point.
He reclaimed his season in the final game and finished with 59 receptions for the 2nd consecutive season and wasn’t far behind his yardage total with 572 yards, although he played in 16 games this season and only played 14 games in 2024.
Over his first 4 seasons, Otton has 17-game averages of 56 receptions, 545 yards and 3 touchdowns. At 6-foot-5 and 247 pounds and at just 26 years old, that means he’s going to be someone’s starting tight end in 2026.
Bucs Could Go With Tight End in 1st Round
ESPN’s Field Yates put out his latest 2026 mock draft on December 10 and predicted the Buccaneers will take University of Oregon star and 2025 Big Ten Tight End of the Year Kenyon Sadiq in the 1st round.
Sadiq, 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, is the kind of freakish blend of athleticism and talent NFL teams covet right now.
Getting Sadiq might be the final piece that sets the Tampa Bay offense for the next 5 years, where he’d be paired with a galaxy of stars in 2024 first round pick and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, running back Bucky Irving, left offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs and quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Buccaneers Predicted to Replace TE Cade Otton With Big Ten Star