Vita Vea, a two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has officially asked to be traded after the team and his representatives were unable to reach a new contract agreement.
His agent, Collin Roberts, confirmed the trade request to several reporters on Monday — just one day before Tampa Bay’s veteran players were due to arrive for training camp.
Vea is currently in the final year of a four-year, $71 million extension he agreed to in 2022. The 31-year-old is set to earn a $17 million base salary in 2026, though none of that money is guaranteed. He also has the potential to earn up to an additional $1 million through per-game roster bonuses.
The contract standoff had already begun to play out during the team’s offseason program. Vea showed up for mandatory minicamp in June but sat out of practice sessions, a move that allowed him to avoid fines while still making clear he wanted a new deal.
Head coach Todd Bowles addressed the situation at the time, saying Vea was physically healthy and calling the hold-in simply “part of the business” of professional football.
Whether Vea will participate in training camp while the Buccaneers consider their options remains to be seen.
Despite the contract tension, Vea was a cornerstone of Tampa Bay’s defense last season. He started all 17 games and put up 34 tackles, 4.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, and 13 quarterback hits. His play in the middle of the defensive line has been a key reason Tampa Bay has consistently ranked among the NFL’s better run-stopping teams.
The Buccaneers drafted the 6-foot-4, 347-pound lineman with the 12th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Over eight seasons and 112 games — including 107 starts — he has accumulated 256 tackles, 35 sacks, and 79 quarterback hits.
Vea was also part of the team that won Super Bowl LV and earned Pro Bowl honors after both the 2021 and 2024 seasons.
His trade request adds to what is already a complicated contract situation for Tampa Bay as camp gets underway. Quarterback Baker Mayfield is also heading into the final year of his contract and has been pushing for an extension, although he did take part fully in minicamp activities.
The Buccaneers have several paths forward: they could deny the trade request and ask Vea to play out the remaining year of his deal, continue working toward a new extension, or shop one of the NFL’s most proven interior defensive linemen to other teams.
