Prior to last season, when discussing players Bucs fans will be talking about 50 years from now, Todd Bowles said that Vita Vea is the one player on defense he could not replace.
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“There’s nobody like him,” Bowles said. “We can’t play without him. If you asked me if we had to lose anybody, that would be a guy I can’t lose. I can plug in everybody else but not Vita.”
But the Bucs head coach may have no choice but to find another starting defensive tackle after Vea requested a trade from the only team he has played for according to his agent, Collin Roberts, on Monday.
“Yes, he’s requested a trade,” Roberts said in a text to the Tampa Bay Times.
Vea, 31, is in the final year of a four-year, $71 million contract he signed in 2023. His averages $17.75 million per year, which ranks 19th among the highest-paid defensive tackles in the league.
In the offseason, the Packers signed defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, 28, to a three-year contract extension worth $57 million. The Titans reached a new three-year, $105.8 million extension with defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, 28.
Ironically, Vea was asked about those deals and what was happening in his talks with the Bucs when he appeared on “Up & Adams” with Kay Adams on Monday.
“I don’t know. I hope we’re close,” Vea said. ”My fingers are crossed.”
There are 10 defensive linemen making $24 million or more. Of the 18 making more than Vea now, only four are older.
Despite his trade request, Vea still is expected to report to training camp with Bucs veterans on Tuesday. Veteran players are fined $50,000 per day for missing camp. It’s unclear whether the Bucs will permit Vea to report but not participate to avoid the fines. First media access is on Wednesday.
Vea did not participate in the mandatory minicamp or organized team activities in the offseason. He was a hold-in for minicamp but Bowles said: “It’s not concerning. We’ve been through it before. It’s part of the business.”
When asked if he was confident that a resolution could be reached prior to the start of training camp, Bowles said: “I could not tell you that.”
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Vea’s trade request comes amid the Bucs facing a deadline by the start of training camp to reach a contract extension with Baker Mayfield that was imposed by the quarterback prior to minicamp.
Outside linebacker Yaya Diaby also is in the final year of his contract and wants an extension.
The 6-foot-4, 347-pound Vea has been at the center of the Bucs defense since he was drafted in the first round out of Washington in 2018.
He helped the Bucs to a Super Bowl 55 championship win over the Chiefs and is a two-time Pro Bowl player.
Vea is entering his ninth season with the Bucs, having played 112 games with 107 starts. He has 35 career sacks, including a team-best seven in 2024. Last season, he appeared in all 17 games, finishing with 4.5 sacks, 13 quarterback hits and 34 tackles.
Bowles has compared him to Bengals defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who signed a one-year, $28 million contract extension through 2028. Lawrence is 28.
“Dexter Lawrence is close, but he’s not as athletic all the way around,” Bowles said last August.
Over the past three seasons, Vea has 62 quarterback pressures, trailing only Lawrence (68) among defensive tackles.
The Bucs’ 3-4 defense revolves around the run-stopping ability and athleticism of Vea. He has created opportunities for players such as Calijah Kancey and Elijah Roberts. In the offseason, the Bucs added A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches, and drafted Clemson rookie DeMonte Capehart.
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But Kancey and Roberts have not had the same impact in their pro careers as Vea.