In stunning news as Buccaneers training camp nears, defensive tackle Vita Vea has requested a trade, agent Collin Roberts announced (via Mike Garafolo of NFL Network). Vea is anticipated to report for camp, however it is unclear if he’ll participate, in response to Garafolo.
Vea’s trade request is available in the midst of a contract standoff between him and the team. The 2-time Pro Bowler is entering the last season of a four-year, $71MM deal, but he and the Buccaneers haven’t come close to a different extension this summer. While the 31-year-old Vea wants a long-term pact, talks with Tampa Bay have stalled, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Vea, a career-long member of the Buccaneers, joined the organization because the twelfth overall pick within the 2018 draft. The previous Washington standout quickly became a full-time starter and certainly one of the sport’s top interior defensive position presences. Injuries have limited Vea in six of his eight seasons, including the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl-winning 2020 campaign (he played just five games then). When healthy, though, Vea has piled up 79 quarterback hits, 48 tackles for loss and 35 sacks over 112 games and 107 starts.
The 6-foot-4, 347-pound Vea put together his second full season in 2025 and continued to post terrific production. He notched 34 tackles, including seven TFL, with 13 QB hits and 4.5 sacks. Vea also amassed the seventh-most pressures at his position (51), in response to Pro Football Focus, which ranked him because the league’s 18th-best interior D-lineman amongst 127 qualifiers.
Vea is on the right track to earn $18MM in 2026, though none of his $17MM salary is guaranteed. Since last season ended, Vea has seen multiple D-tackles earn massive raises. Having signed a record-breaking extension price $105.8MM (including $100MM in guarantees) over three years, the Titans’ Jeffery Simmons is the prime example. The Bengals’ Dexter Lawrence also cashed in (one 12 months, $28MM), albeit on a shorter and much cheaper commitment. Simmons and Lawrence are amongst 14 D-tackles averaging no less than $20MM, per Over the Cap. Vea no less than has a case to hitch that group, though it might not are available in a Buccaneers uniform.
Along with having to map out Vea’s future, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht also has to determine the way to proceed with quarterback Baker Mayfield. Also scheduled to succeed in the open market in 2027, Mayfield has indicated he’ll cut off contract negotiations in the beginning of camp and play the season without an extension.
Vea, Mayfield and the remainder of the Bucs’ veterans are resulting from report Tuesday. Showing up will enable Vea to avoid fines, but he held in during mandatory minicamp and will do the identical in training camp.