Buccaneers resolve Vea trade request with $30 million extension

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea has reportedly agreed to a one-year contract extension worth $30 million, a move that resolves a recent trade request and keeps the two-time Pro Bowler under contract through the 2027 season. According to reports from ESPN, the deal includes $30 million in guaranteed money and was finalised during the second week of the preseason.

The agreement adds $6 million to Vea’s previously slated $18 million salary for 2026, bringing his total compensation for that year to $24 million. Vea will also earn an additional $24 million in 2027. This resolution ends a period of uncertainty where Vea, who was entering the final year of a four-year, $71 million deal signed in 2022, had requested a trade. His agent, Collin Roberts, had previously indicated that a trade was the most likely outcome for his client.

Now in his ninth season, the 31-year-old Vea has spent his entire career with the Buccaneers, having been selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He is a member of the team’s 2020 Super Bowl championship squad and recorded a career-high seven sacks in 2024, which earned him his second Pro Bowl selection.

The signing provides stability for the Buccaneers, who are navigating other roster and contract issues. The team recently lost franchise icon Mike Evans to free agency in San Francisco. Additionally, quarterback Baker Mayfield has publicly expressed displeasure with his contract status, though he has since refocused on football and claimed the team is poised to “shock a lot of people this year.”

The resolution of Vea’s contract situation also has implications for the upcoming offseason. With Vea signed, he is no longer a candidate for the franchise tag in the next offseason. This leaves Mayfield, who is slated to become a free agent after the 2026 season, as the primary option for that designation in 2027.