Vita Vea requested a trade on Monday night, right before Tampa Bay Buccaneers veterans were set to report to training camp on Tuesday.

Naturally, it’s created a layered conversation surrounding his future. Should the Buccaneers trade him or keep him without giving him new deal? Should they give him a new deal?

Let’s dive into the context behind a potential Vita Vea trade.

Three recent examples to help gauge Vita Vea’s trade value

1. Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals for the 10th overall pick

The best way to gauge what Vita Vea could fetch in a trade is to look at recent interior defensive linemen trades. I went back five years and found three comps worth examining.

A lot of people will point to the Lawrence trade as a starting point and it’s easy to see the fallacies behind that thought.

For starters, Vea is 31 and turns 32 in February 2027. Lawrence is 28 and doesn’t turn 29 until November. Therefore, the Bengals will have him under contract for basically three years before he turns 31. That’s a big deal and a lot of NFL GMs factor in age and it makes sense. Younger players still have a chance to get better as they get older, whereas players Vea’s age often plateau or decline, more than anything.

There’s also the fact Lawrence is a better player, plain and simple. The guy was largely considered to be the best nose tackle in the league before a down 2025 season and many still think he’s top-5.

Vea, while still very good, is nowhere near that at this point in his career. And there’s a big gap between “very good” and “elite”, which is where Lawrence resides.

2. Osa Odighizuwah to the 49ers for a third-round pick (No. 92 overall)

Odighizuwah is a good player, but I’m not sure he’s on Vea’s level. Regardless, he’s only 27 and has missed just one game since entering the NFL in 2021.

Vea still has an injury history to account for, even if he’s been relatively healthy over the last few seasons. He played in all 17 games last year, as well, but again, the age gap is the main factor, here.

Still, the fact Vea is a better player holds a lot of weight and it’s what makes a third-rounder a possibility. Odighizuwa is also set to make $20 million in base salary in 2027 and 2028, which is more than Vea has ever made in a single season (in terms of base salary).

Ultimately, Odighizuwa is in his prime and Vea is not. That’s what makes up the skill difference between the two and it’s warranted.

3. Leonard Williams to the Seahawks for a second-rounder and future fifth-rounder

Williams was traded before the 2023 deadline and garnered a 2024 second-rounder and 2025 fifth-rounder for the Giants. This is an interesting comparison, because he was coming off a 2022 season that featured just 2.5 sacks against five missed games. He also had just 1.5 sacks in eight games with New York before the trade.

At 29, many thought he was on the decline, but the Seahawks clearly didn’t. He had 39.5 career sacks to Vita’s current mark of 35.0, as well.

Still, Leonard has always been viewed as an elite talent and that’s where the line is drawn. Like Lawrence, he’s simply a better player than Vea and that was proven when he was ranked as the best interior defensive lineman by NFL execs, coaches, and scouts.

At the same time, it takes just one team to value Vea like the ‘Hawks did Williams and there could certainly be a franchise out there that does.

So, what could the Buccaneers realistically get for Vita Vea in a trade?

With all that context in mind, I see Vea netting a third-round pick, at best. More realistically, it’s a fourth-rounder, potentially with a future late-round pick or maybe even a player attached. That’s the sweet spot given his age, health profile, and the fact he plays a position where snap counts don’t really exceed 65%-70%.

The Buccaneers aren’t going to trade Vita Vea

With all that being said, I don’t think the Buccaneers deal Vita Vea, because it simply doesn’t make sense. Past trade history doesn’t really work in his favor and neither does the Bucs’ current roster makeup.

If they move him, this defense is in trouble because they don’t have anyone to replace what he does as the anchor of the front seven. A’Shawn Robinson is a solid complementary piece, but he’s not the guy. Calijah Kancey could develop into a stalwart on the defensive line, but his own injury history has prevented that from happening. And expecting rookie DeMonte Capehart to replicate Vea’s impact in Year 1 isn’t realistic.

Here’s the other factor worth considering: If Vea walks after this season, and the Buccaneers play the compensatory pick formula correctly, they could probably net a fourth-round comp pick for losing him anyway. So why trade him, now? It makes far better sense to just keep him and hope he plays his butt off in a contract year to where he gets a new deal that equates to a high comp pick. Overall, it’d likely net the same return. So, reap the benefit while you can.

The best solution remains what it’s always been: Give Vea a raise of $4-$5 million that pushes him into the top 10 among interior defensive linemen in cash. The Buccaneers can even add a million or two in reasonable incentives tied to playing time and sack production and things of that nature.

Tampa Bay has the cap space, and it could even make minor contract alterations elsewhere to help the situation. I don’t fully understand why the Buccaneers haven’t done it already, as Vea has certainly outplayed his current deal.

Regardless, it’s basically safe to say Vea will be here in 2026, but that certainly doesn’t look to be the case after the season.