Ben Bredeson could have tested free agency for the second offseason in a row. Instead, he is staying where the process led him to last time: with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
On Monday, the Buccaneers announced that they had agreed to terms on a new three-year deal with Bredeson, who started all 17 games for the team at left guard in 2024 after coming to Tampa on a one-year contract. That means Tampa Bay will return all three starters from an offensive line that was among the NFL's best last season.
Bredeson was the lone outside addition to a starting line otherwise made up entirely of players drafted in the first or second round of the last five drafts. All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs was a first-round selection in 2020 and center Graham Barton was a first-round choice in 2024. Right tackle Luke Goedeke and right guard Cody Mauch were both taken in the second round, in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Bredeson played 99% of the Buccaneers' offensive snaps in 2024, including the postseason. He was a key part of a line that, according to Pro Football Network, allowed the lowest pressure rate (24%) in the NFL in 2024. Tampa Bay's offense also ranked fourth in the league in rushing yards per game (149.2) and third in yards per carry (5.25). The Buccaneers set franchise single-season records in total rushing yards and yards per carry, accomplishing a massive improvement for a team that finished last in the NFL in rushing yards in both 2022 and 2023. Pro Football Network ranked the Buccaneers' offensive line third in the NFL in 2024.
Overall, Bredeson contributed to an offense that ranked third in total yards and fourth in points scored and was the only team in the NFL to land in the top five in both rushing and passing.
Bredeson signed with the Buccaneers last March after three seasons with the New York Giants, during which he played in 32 games and started 25 of them. He was originally a fourth-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2020 but he was traded to New York in August of 2021. In his final season with the Giants, he started 16 games and played in 96% of the team's offensive snaps in those contests.
