All signs continue to point towards Vita Vea remaining in Tampa Bay, but his price continues to rise with recent DT deals being given out around the NFL.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost two cornerstone pieces of the franchise this offseason, with Lavonte David retiring and Mike Evans joining the San Francisco 49ers.
While the team has recovered well from these losses, the Bucs now face contract disputes with starting quarterback Baker Mayfield and defensive tackle Vita Vea.
Mayfield has seemingly moved on to the upcoming season, but Vea's situation has intensified.
In late-July, Vea officially requested a trade, potentially ending his eight-year tenure with the Bucs.
Since that time, most reporting has indicated that the Bucs have no interest in trading their two-time Pro Bowler, but ESPN Senior Insider Adam Schefter had an interesting update on Wednesday.
"It feels like there's been a shift with Vita Vea and the Bucs," Schefter said on the Pat McAfee show. "It feels like we've gone from Vita Vea wanting a trade to Vita Vea now wanting to get a deal done.. I think eventually the two sides figure it out."
It seems unlikely that Tampa would move a key player like Vea this close to the season, especially with the key hits suffered earlier in free agency.
But, a potential deal is continuing to get more and more expensive, with various defensive linemen being extended since Vea's request.
According to NFL.com Senior Writer Kevin Patra, Vea's average annual salary of $17.75 million per-year ranks nineteenth among interior defenders, with players like Kansas City's Chris Jones and Tennessee Titans DT Jeffery Simmons making upwards of $31 million with their new deals.
The Philadelphia Eagles recently shattered the record for the highest-paid defensive tackle of all time, rewarding Jalen Carter with a 4-year, $152 million extension.
While Carter is certainly deserving of this deal, it is difficult to justify Vea being paid more than $20 million less per year than him.
Last season, Vea recorded 4.5 sacks and 34 tackles, adding a fumble recovery and two passes defensed.
This marked a fourth-straight campaign with 4.5 sacks or more, with the 6-foot-4 nose tackle recording 23.5 over his last four seasons.
Outside of the production, Vea is an extremely consistent player, playing in 13 or more games in all but one season during his impressive career.
Vea was also a huge part of Tampa's success during the 2021 season, which resulted in a Super Bowl victory.
Alongside talents like Ndamukong Suh, Shaq Barrett, and Jason Pierre-Paul, Vea helped form one of the most formidable defensive line groups in recent memory, tormenting Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs during the 31-9 win.
In a season where head coach Todd Bowles is looking to get back to the defensive consistency Bucs fans are used too, having Vea ready and bought in will be crucial to the team's success.
