TAMPA — Defensive lineman Vita Vea signed a contract extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers through 2027, ending weeks of uncertainty that included a reported trade request at the start of training camp.
“I always wanted to be a Buc, and I want to be a Buc for life,” Vea said Thursday. “So I’m glad that we were able to get this done. This is just something we both had to figure out on both sides, and we got it squared away. I’m glad we can put this all behind us and move forward from here on out.”
The new deal replaces the final season of the four-year contract Vea signed in January of 2022 and adds another year, keeping the nose tackle in Tampa through 2027. Vea reportedly sought a trade at the start of camp, but he said the request was a negotiating lever, not a genuine desire to leave.
“I made Tampa my home,” Vea said. “I love it here. The guys on the team are like brothers to me. We look at each other like family. I didn’t want to leave that behind and switch teams, get traded. That was never the end goal for me. I always wanted to be here.”
A first-round pick in 2018, Vea has compiled 35.0 career sacks — a significant total for a nose tackle who consistently draws double teams — and anchored a Tampa Bay defense that has allowed the fewest rushing yards in the NFL since 2019. He earned Pro Bowl selections following the 2021 and 2024 seasons, is a four-time team captain and played a career-high 73% of the Buccaneers’ defensive snaps last season. Since 2020, the franchise has posted five playoff berths, won six postseason games including Super Bowl LV and captured four division titles.
Head Coach Todd Bowles said Vea is likely to begin practicing next week but will not play in the preseason finale in Jacksonville on Aug. 28. The goal is to have him fully ready for the regular season opener in Cincinnati on Sept. 13.
“I feel great,” Vea said. “Been doing this for nine years now so you kind of understand what to do. I’ve been in good shape and I have a good team around me so I feel like I’m ready to go.”
Vea, who has spent his entire eight-year career in Tampa, said the decision was as emotional as it was financial. “They took a chance on me in the draft and I’ve been here ever since,” he said. “I fell in love with Tampa, I fell in love with my teammates. I love the organization, everybody that works here. I walk around every day with smile on my face. I feel like it speaks volumes for everybody who works here and my teammates. They say, ‘Home is where the heart is,’ and I feel like my heart is in Tampa.”