Buccaneers sign first-round draft pick Graham Barton, rookie contract details revealed

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially signed former Duke center and first-round draft pick Graham Barton to his rookie deal this week. The former Blue Devil inked a four-year deal with a total payout of $14.02 million after the Buccaneers took him with the No. 26 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Barton’s rookie deal is fully guaranteed and includes a signing bonus of $7.021 million. Because of the signing bonus, his first-year salary in the NFL will be $795,000. However, his base salary increases each subsequent season. Since Barton is a first-rounder, his rookie deal comes with a fifth-year option for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers can exercise their fifth-year option to keep him with the team through 2028. That decision comes after Barton’s third season in the league.

Barton played in several spots for the Blue Devils along the offensive line, though he primarily started at left tackle in recent seasons. He projects as an interior lineman, either a guard or center, at the next level with the Buccaneers. His college experience at tackle at least presents the opportunity for Barton to kick out if needed for a spell if injuries arise.

All told, he played in 40 games across four seasons at Duke, making 39 starts. He was a first-team All-ACC selection in both 2022 and 2023. He was also an integral piece of the Duke teams that helped the program ascend to consistent ACC contention under head coach Mike Elko.

Anonymous NFL execs weigh in on Barton selection

This week, The Athletic‘s Mike Sando discussed the first round of the 2024 NFL draft with various executives around the league. He spoke to two anonymous executives who both loved the Buccaneers’ first-round choice of Duke center Graham Barton.

“If Graham Barton is going to be a starting center for 10-12 years, how can you not do it? Was Frank Ragnow a bad pick for the Lions?” one executive said.

“Barton is a really nice high-floor player,” another chimed in. “[The Buccaneers] have done a nice job building that offensive line.”

Barton will begin his NFL career in Tampa Bay attempting to win the starting job at center, currently held by Robert Hainsey.

“We’ll definitely start him off at center and see how he handles everything,” coordinator Liam Coen said this week. “There’s a lot of communication and things that can occur with the quarterback and the rest of the unit. We’ll see how that communication goes, but we feel confident he’ll be able to do some of those things. But if not, hey, we’ll slide him over to guard and give him a shot there as well.”