Mar 9, 2026, 12:38 PM ETOpen Extended Reactions
Tight end Cade Otton is returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
The deal is for three years, a source told ESPN's Jenna Laine.
The Buccaneers' fourth-round pick out of the University of Washington in the 2022 NFL draft, Otton started 58 of 63 career games in Tampa, missing five games in four seasons due to injury.
His targets have fluctuated over the last four years, depending on how healthy the Bucs' receiving corps have been, in addition to the health of the offensive line, which saw a number of starters go down in 2025.
In 2025, Otton, 26, caught 59 passes for 572 receiving yards. His lone touchdown in 2025 came in a must-win game against the Carolina Panthers in which quarterback Baker Mayfield found him for 18 yards down the middle in the first quarter.
Otton's best statistical season came in 2024, where he caught 59 passes for 600 receiving yards and four touchdowns. He also had four touchdowns in 2023, along with 455 receiving yards. But that season also featured a career-high five drops and two fumbles.
ESPN's Jenna Laine contributed to this report.
