Ex-Husky TE Cade Otton Has Career Day in NFL, But His Bucs Lose

The former UW stalwart caught a pair of TD passes among his big total.

Ex-Husky tight end Cade Otton (88) had his best NFL day for Tampa Bay against Atlanta on Sunday. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Former University of Washington tight end Cade Otton enjoyed a career day in the NFL -- catching 9 passes for 82 yards and 2 touchdowns -- but it still wasn't enough to prevent his Tampa Bay Buccaneers from losing 31-26 to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in that Florida city.

A third-year pro from Tumwater, Washington, Otton got his hands on 4- and 5-yard scoring passes from quarterback Baker Mayfield, the latter with 6:52 left in the game to pull the Bucs within five points, but they couldn't get any closer.

Appropriately so, he did all of this on National Tight Ends Day, which the NFL celebrates on the fourth weekend of every October.

Otton's previous high-end performance as a pro football player was an 8-catch, 100-yard outing against the Baltimore Ravens in a 41-31 loss last weekend, setting him up for 17 grabs in consecutive games.

For the Huskies, Otton's best showing was his 8 receptions for 108 yards and 2 scores in a 24-21 victory over Utah in 2020, with the All-Pac-12 tight end hauling in a 16-yard, game-winning catch from quarterback Dylan Morris with just 36 seconds left in that game.

For his 4-4 team, Otton has season totals of 36 catches for 344 yards and 3 touchdowns. In his NFL career, he has 125 receptions for 1,191 yards and 9 scores.

The Bucs also got a productive day out of another former Husky in rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan, who caught 4 passes for 35 yards and rushed once for a 17-yard gain against the Falcons.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington