Getty
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton.
There’s always time for wild speculation in the NFL, and there’s even more time for it in the offseason.
Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton found himself at the center of some of that wild speculation this week after a cryptic post to his official Instagram account on Monday just weeks before he’s set to become a free agent for the 1st time.
“Can’t wait to see what the rest of 2026 brings,” Otton wrote, accompanied by a slideshow of pictures of his time with the Buccaneers and with his family, including his wife, Sierra, and their 2 young children.
Otton was a 4th round pick (No. 104 overall) out of the University of Washington in the 2022 NFL draft and just played out his 4-year, $4.49 million rookie contract.
NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal ranked Otton as the No. 18 available free agent in his Top 101 free agent rankings.
“Welcome to Cade Otton Island, where you can run any offense you want while never giving an inch in the run game,” Rosenthal wrote. “In our growing two-tight end world, every NFL team needs an Otton.”
Comments Roast Otton on Social Media
Buccaneers fans don’t think quite as highly of Otton’s game as the experts do, and hew as roasted underneath different shares of his post on social media.
“Cya Cade, thank you for everything you did and lastly by freeing up that extra cap to get us someone who will score TDs from your position brother,” Lone Wolf Method wrote on their official X account. “May the next team you sign with get themself a good run blocker in your best ability!”
Otton was also called out for not wearing football gloves — a major advantage to anyone trying to catch a football.
“Hopefully 2026 brings him a pair of gloves,” X user Doug Michael wrote.
Otton Likely Overvalued in Market Projection
Market projects for Otton that have him projected to receive a 3-year, $23.7 million contract might have him wildly overvalued — teams would be smart to start with something more along the lines of a 2-year, $10 million offer.
Otton’s value might be higher because of 1 game, after he had 7 receptions for 94 yards and 1 touchdown — his only touchdown of the season — in a win over the Carolina Panthers in the regular season finale.
Otton entered the season finale with 52 receptions — the most receptions in the NFL without a touchdown to that point. He matched total from 2024 with 59 receptions and wasn’t far behind his yardage total with 572 yards, although he played in 16 games in 2025 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, 247 pounds and just 26 years old, that means he’s going to be some team’s starting tight end in 2026.
Another Option for Bucs: Draft Tight End
The Buccaneers might need to look to the 2026 NFL draft to land a tight end, although it’s hard to see them doing that in the 1st round with the myriad of holes they have on the defensive side of the ball.
Pro Football Focus predicts the Buccaneers will draft 6-foot-5, 243-pound Ohio State star Max Klare in the 3rd round (No. 77 overall) to replace Otton.
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
More Heavy on Buccaneers
Loading more stories