Buccaneers $90 Million OT Reveals Actual Extent of Injuries
While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their fans knew right offensive tackle Luke Goedeke would eventually return this season, what they didn’t know for sure was when that might happen after he went on injured reserve with a foot injury following a Week 2 win over the Houston Texans.
One thing no one knew about Goedeke was the actual extent of his injuries — it was always just characterized as a “foot” injury — but the man himself tuned everyone in to exactly how bad it was during Thursday’s media session.
“Bucs RT Luke Goedeke said he tore his plantar fascia and had a contusion to recover from since Week 2,” Tampa Bay Times reporter Rick Stroud wrote on his official X account on November 13. “He is thrilled to be back.”
Now, with Goedeke finally back in the lineup fir a Week 10 loss to the New England Patriots, it’s only going to get better for both Goedeke and Tampa Bay’s offense the more he’s in the lineup. He gets another chance when the NFC South first place Buccaneers travel to face the Buffalo Bills in Week 11, where Goedeke will get to square off with edge rusher Joey Bosa.
The Patriots game was the first tine this season the Buccaneers had their high priced offensive tackles together — left offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs missed the first 3 games as he recovered from preseason knee surgery.
“I came in day in and day out (to rehab) to try and get back as soon as possible,” Goedeke said in a video posted to X by Pewter Report. “I wasn’t the most pleasant at times to be around … football is what my life revolves around. I make sacrifices training in the offseason to be in the very best physical shape I can be in, so to have that taken away from you is very frustrating.”
Rushing Attack Got Immediate Boost From Return
The Buccaneers have been missing large chunks of their offense all season. That’s meant little familiarity and little getting a feel for each other, because it’s always different people in the lineup.
The Buccaneers saw an immediate uptick in their run game against the Patriots with Goedeke back in the lineup and rushed for 113 yards — their highest total since running for 122 yards in a Week 3 win over the New York Jets.
“Luke Goedeke immediately shuts down the notion that he’s the only reason the run game bounced back,” Bucs Gameday’s River Wells posted on X on November 13. “He says all 11 players did good work to get the run game going against the Patriots.”
Buccaneers Spent Big on Goedeke in Offseason
This offseason, for the second year in a row, the Buccaneers delivered a massive payday to one of their elite offensive linemen.
“The #Bucs have agreed to terms with their standout OT Luke Goedeke, as he gets a 4-year, $90M deal — $22.5M APY — that includes $50M guaranteed,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account on September 2. “Tampa Bay locks up another key O-lineman.”
Tampa Bay signed NFL All-Pro left offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs to a 4-year, $140.6 million contract extension in August 2024, which remains the largest contract for an offensive lineman in NFL history.
Cynthia Erivo Eyes Serena Williams Biopic Role: 'A Duality of Strength and Beauty'
Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo talked transitioning from the Broadway stage to the silver screen with Vogue. During the conversation revealed one of her dream acting roles would be the ability to depict Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
Erivo stars in two highly anticipated films: Widows, a crime thriller directed by Steve McQueen, alongside a cast of other powerful actresses including Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez and Elizabeth Debicki; and
Erivo was also cast in Harriet, a biopic about the Underground Railroad conductor and abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
With a variety of roles on her growing résumé, the British-born actress would love to portray the duality of Williams’ strength and beauty on-screen.
“There’s this fiery, determined champion, and then there’s this really gorgeous, almost Marilyn Monroe-esque siren—something really quite ethereal,” Erivo told the fashion publication.
She would also love to play a fictional superhero. “I think I’d really enjoy being able to just go for it, to be honest,” she said of the possibility of both roles.
