As the defensive tackle demands a salary reset to match league stars, Tampa Bay's front office faces a difficult decision with no easy solution.
Who is going to blink first in the standoff between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and star defensive tackle Vita Vea?
Only time will tell, but Vea is "dug in" in his position and wants to be traded if Tampa does not give him a new contract. Vea has seen other DTs around the league break the bank with new extensions this offseason and wants his share.
When Vea first made his request, the consensus was that it would not amount to anything, except maybe a new contract. However, the Bucs have not budged in their willingness to pay the 31-year-old, and the dispute has gotten more contentious.
Now, there is a growing feeling that Tampa will end up trading Vea, especially if the team doesn't want to commit big money to him beyond this season. ESPN's Adam Schefter recently said on the Pat McAfee Show that Vea being traded is "certainly a possibility," even though he believes it wouldn't happen until the regular season is almost here.
Though Tampa's general manager, Jason Licht, continues to be adamant that he will not trade Vea, Vea's agent, Collin Roberts, believes a trade is inevitable.
Roberts spoke with Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, telling him that the current situation only has one outcome.
“I just don’t see it ending in anything but a trade at this point," Roberts said.
Is Roberts Just Acting Like An Agent?
Do Vea and Roberts really believe that a line has been crossed or that all bridges have been burned? Or is Roberts just acting like an agent and publicly supporting his client's wishes?
Vea wants to be paid more in line with other standout DTs. His current contract ranks 19th among DTs in the NFL, and he is still closer to the top 10 than the 19th-best defensive tackle in the league.
The issue isn't that Vea's play has fallen off. It hasn't. However, he is on the wrong side of 30, and the fear is that, whenever he begins to decline, it could happen quickly. Is it really smart for a team to commit that kind of money as a player approaches his mid-30s? Or should Tampa at least consider trading Vea?
As long as quarterback Baker Mayfield's own contract dispute is unresolved, it is hard to see what direction the Bucs will be moving in after this season. If the team decides to use the franchise tag on Mayfield for 2027, he would carry an almost $80 million cap hit when you factor in the extra $30 million automatically added when his current deal voids.
Could the Bucs afford that cap hit from Mayfield, plus a new deal for Vea, and also be able to re-sign core players like YaYa Diaby and Cody Mauch, who are both entering the final year of their contracts?
Sometimes, the biggest domino has to fall first. In this case, that is Mayfield. Tampa's inability to reach a new deal with its QB has made the Vea situation much more difficult to navigate.
Final Thoughts
Roberts' assertion that this only ends with a trade is more of a sign that Licht is unwilling to give in and pay Vea than a sign that Vea wouldn't agree to a new deal if one were offered. If the team ponies up, Vea would likely sign immediately.
Even though Licht is still publicly claiming he won't trade Vea, he may have to reconsider if this drags on for another month. Vea would have several teams interested if Tampa were to trade him, and would still bring back a nice return.
How this situation unfolds will have a tremendous impact on the Bucs' upcoming season. Stay tuned.
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