Tampa Bay’s massive defensive tackle is staging a "hold-in" at minicamp, sidelining himself from drills to gain leverage for a lucrative extension as contract negotiations hit a stalemate.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were missing a huge part of their defense on Tuesday.
Both literally and figuratively.
That's because the Bucs' massive defensive tackle, Vita Vea, opted not to take the field with his teammates for their practice at mandatory minicamp. Vea's showing up spared him from receiving a $107,911 fine for missing the three-day camp.
According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Media, Vea's decision not to practice is "contract-related." Garafolo discussed Vea's refusal to practice on the NFL Network show The Insiders Tuesday night.
“My understanding is the contract is playing into this,” Garafolo said. “Again, from my understanding, sources have told me that the fact that he is in the final year of his deal, hasn’t gotten an extension to his point, is part of the reason that he is not participating.”
The 6'4, 347-pound Vea is seeking either a hefty contract extension or a significant raise over the $17 million he is set to make in 2026. The 31-year-old is entering the final season of a four-year, $71 million contract extension he signed in 2022. Vea's $17.75 million average annual value ranks 19th among NFL defensive tackles.
When asked about why Vea was not participating in drills, head coach Todd Bowles admitted that Vea was healthy and not missing practice due to any injury. However, he seemed to brush off Vita's absence.
“We don’t need to see him right now,” Bowles said, via joebucsfan.com.
Bucs Now Have Two High-Profile Contract Situations
The Bucs now have two high-profile contract situations. With the team and quarterback Baker Mayfield not making any progress on a potential extension, Tampa now has to handle a "hold-in" from the heart and soul of its defense.
While Mayfield has remained adamant that his contract situation won't affect his preparation for the upcoming season and has not missed any of the Bucs' offseason program, Vea is taking a different approach.
At 31, Vea is looking to secure another big-money extension before he begins to decline on the field. Though he is still playing at a high level, age can catch up to a player quickly and a drop-off can be rapid.
Entering his ninth season in the league, Vea may feel like this is his last opportunity to receive a big-money contract, and is trying to gain leverage by not practicing.
Reason To Panic?
Is Vea's absence a reason for fans to panic? Absolutely not. Hold-ins have become quite common in the NFL over the last few years, and usually get resolved before the player misses any real games.
Before the start of the 2025 season, Pittsburgh Steelers' star DT Cam Heyward also staged a hold-in during training camp and the preseason. Heyward, who was 36 years old at the time, was coming off a First-Team All-Pro season in 2024.
The Steelers agreed to add money to Heyward's 2025 salary, ending the standoff.
Final Thoughts
This is just the price of doing business in the NFL. Players, especially those nearing the end of their deals, will always want to secure more guaranteed money. Football is a dangerous sport, and players can only make big money for a very short period of time.
There is plenty of time for Vea and the Bucs to find common ground on a reworked deal. I would expect the result to be similar to Heyward's, and we see the Bucs adding a few million extra dollars to Vea's 2026 salary.
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