Elijah Klein

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

This four-year, $4.2M deal for Elijah Klein represents solid value for Tampa Bay, landing squarely in fair deal territory with his C+ CVI reflecting the sweet spot between cost and potential upside. At just $1M annually with minimal guaranteed money, the Buccaneers are making a low-risk investment in a guard who projects as a dependable depth piece with starter upside in their offensive line rotation. The contract structure heavily favors Tampa Bay, with only $0.1M guaranteed providing maximum flexibility to cut ties without significant financial penalty if Klein doesn't develop as expected. Klein's age and development curve suggest he's entering his prime window, making this deal particularly shrewd if he can cement himself as a reliable starter over the contract's duration. For a franchise that's built success through smart salary cap management, securing four years of offensive line depth at this price point allows the Bucs to allocate resources elsewhere while maintaining quality protection for their quarterback. This C+ CVI deal exemplifies how teams can build sustainable roster depth without breaking the bank, giving Klein every incentive to outperform his modest contract while providing Tampa Bay with excellent cost certainty at a crucial position.

Performance Analysis

Elijah Klein enters his third NFL season as a below-average guard at best, with a D- performance grade that places him firmly outside any meaningful conversation about Tampa Bay's starting lineup. The most telling data point available is his appearance in 10 games, which speaks more to roster circumstance than demonstrated value — for a sixth-round pick out of the 2024 draft (220th overall), logging snaps is a baseline expectation, not an achievement. There are no statistical markers here that suggest a breakout is imminent or that Klein has carved out a defined role beyond depth-chart filler on the offensive interior. The mediaFraming paints an accurate picture: he operates in the professional equivalent of anonymity, generating neither positive buzz nor red-flag concern, which for a player at his career stage is its own kind of warning sign. His $1M contract keeps the cost negligible, but Tampa Bay's recent offseason activity — adding multiple bodies across the roster — signals a front office actively shaping its 2026 options, and Klein is not part of that conversation in any visible way. At 26 on a rookie scale contract with two seasons of unremarkable production behind him, the window to establish himself as a legitimate contributor is narrowing fast, and nothing in the current data suggests he's trending toward closing that gap.