Another contract-related conflict has come to Tampa.
After unsuccessful attempts to negotiate a long-term contract extension, defensive tackle Vita Vea has requested a trade from the Buccaneers, NFL Network Insiders Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport reported Monday.
Vea is expected to be with the team for training camp, but his participation status is currently undetermined, Garafolo added.
Vea did not participate in the Bucs’ spring program, but did attend mandatory minicamp, which could hint at his plans for training camp.
It was in mid-June when it was announced that Vea’s lack of participation in training was contractual. Much of the Bucs’ offseason spotlight has focused on quarterback Baker Mayfield’s extension, but Vea’s need for a new contract is clearly an issue as well. Earlier in July, Garafolo reported that Tampa Bay was not close to extensions for Mayfield or Vea. At least the latter is still true at this point.
Vea is scheduled to make $18 million in 2026, the final year of a four-year extension signed in early 2022. The 31-year-old has earned two Pro Bowl nods in his eight NFL seasons, most recently in 2024 after recording 42 tackles and seven sacks.
A traditional nose tackle, Vea has established himself as a strong, problem-causing interior defensive lineman with the versatility to line up in multiple positions since arriving as a first-round pick out of Washington in 2018. He earned the 20th-best overall defensive grade among interior defensive linemen, including the 2025 Top Footballers, including the 20th grade as part of a defense that ranked fourth in the NFL overall QB pressure rate (38%) but ranked 19th in total sacks, according to Next Generation Stats.
Vea finished ninth in total QB pressures (40) among all defensive tackles, according to Next Generation Stats, and added 4.5 sacks to his ledger. His run defense numbers weren’t as impressive in 2025, though, but he was among the likes of Kenny Clark and Neville Gallimore in run stops (21) on 248 snaps.
Vea has been one of Tampa’s mainstays for the past eight years, coming on as a snap and a key part of the Buccaneers’ defense that suffocated the mighty Kansas City Chiefs in Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl LV victory. Throughout his career, he has been one of the Buccaneers’ most consistent defenders amid changes, but it appears he and the Buccaneers may not be on the same page in their long-term plans.
Monday’s trade request adds to a growing list of financial issues that general manager Jason Licht has yet to address. Licht’s front office failed to agree to a contract extension with quarterback Mayfield before Mayfield’s self-imposed contract deadline that arrived at the start of training camp.
Now Licht has a new and more urgent matter on his hands with Vea. We’ll see if Vea sticks around to force Licht’s hand, or if he ends up wearing a new outfit this fall.