NFL insider says exactly what you don’t want to hear about Vita Vea’s current feelings toward the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Vita Vea is unhappy with his contract and has made that obvious to the Buccaneers. Apparently, the lack of movement, plus Tampa Bay’s disinterest in trading him, has things in a bad spot.
We know that contract negotiations between Vita Vea and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have stalled, as Vea held-in during mandatory minicamp and appears to be doing the same in training camp. Even though Todd Bowles did say he tweaked his back while doing conditioning drills on Tuesday.
Regardless, the big question at this point has to be whether or not Vea is simply happy. And that’s because unhappy players, as we’ve seen plenty of times in the past, can affect their performance on the field for good or bad. You never know which side of the coin you’re going to get until you get to Week 1 of the season and the bullets start flying.
Common sense and gut feeling say that Vita Vea, once Week 1 rolls around, will go out do what he does best for the Buccaneers, which is get after the opposing quarterback and make the life of opposing offensive lines hell.
However, the latest report surrounding his state of mind is not what you want to hear.
Jeremy Fowler says Vita Vea is “highly upset” with the Buccaneners
Fowler was at Buccaneers camp on Thursday, and he reported that Vea is highly upset with the way his contract negotiations have gone, the fact that Tampa Bay isn’t going to give him a multi-year deal, and that the franchise has no plans to trade him.
That comes on the heels of the idea the Buccaneers didn’t even attempt to work out a new deal, unlike their efforts with Baker Mayfield. On top of that, Fowler says there is plenty of outside interest in acquiring Vita Vea, yet the Buccaneers have no plans to trade him.
“As for Vea, his trade interest is pretty heavy,” said Fowler. “He’s got several calls in to the Bucs. I’m told the Bucs do not plan to trade Vita Vea. He’s a big part of what they do, still. Problem is, the Buccaneers have a penchant for not paying some of their stars until they get to the end of their final year of their deal or the franchise tag.
“Vea feels like his contract’s been outdated for a long time. He’s let them know. As a result, contract talks went nowhere. So, whereas the Bucs at least tried with Mayfield, it seems like they really didn’t try to re-sign their star defensive tackle.”
That’s a bit concerning, to be honest. You don’t want a stalwart player like this, someone you really need on the field in 2026 during a big-time prove-it year, to be highly upset in this situation.
Vea is a professional. Overall, that likely won’t affect his play on the field, but here’s where the real problem lies: other players are watching all this unfold and it could affect their overall view of the franchise.
This is a reflection on the Buccaneers, whether it’s fair or not
And fair or not, Vea’s situation is a reflection upon the Buccaneers. His teammates are going to be wondering: whenever I get to his situation, and if I’ve done all the things that Vita Vea has done for the Buccaneers, are they going to treat me the same way? Believe it or not, that can start to wear on other players and it could alter their approach to their own future contract situations.
With all that being said, again, I think Vita Vea straps up and gives his best effort in 2026. However, long term, this could ultimately have an underlying effect down the road.