Vita Vea, a two-time Pro Bowl nose tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has requested a trade from the team, a league source confirmed to Fox News Digital. The request comes just before the start of training camp, stemming from Vea's frustration with ongoing contract discussions this offseason.
Vea is currently under contract through the 2026 season and is scheduled to earn up to $18 million in the final year if he plays all 17 games. He is seeking a new contract and believes his current pay places him as the 19th-highest-paid interior defensive lineman in the league, a ranking he feels does not reflect his performance.
As the structural centerpiece of the Buccaneers' defense, Vea is considered a crucial run defender. His combination of size and mobility allows him to control the middle of the formation from his nose tackle position. At 6-foot-4 and 347 pounds, Vea has consistently drawn double-teams, helping Tampa Bay maintain one of the NFL's most productive run defenses since he became a full-time starter in 2019. From 2019 through most of the 2024 season, the Buccaneers ranked first in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game (94.1) and yards allowed per carry (4.0), finishing in the top five against the run in five of those six seasons.
Despite missing five games in 2020 due to an ankle fracture, Vea has been durable, starting 78 games over the past five seasons. His individual statistics include a career-high seven sacks in 2024, followed by 4.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, and 13 quarterback hits in 2025. His pass-rush production in 2024 placed him and teammate Calijah Kancey among only three players on the same team with at least seven sacks from defensive tackles that season.
Vea has been selected to the Pro Bowl following the 2021 and 2024 seasons, earned a spot on the NFL Players Association’s Top 100 list entering 2025, and was a key contributor to the Buccaneers' Super Bowl LV championship team.
The trade request introduces complications for the Buccaneers, who are also navigating high-stakes contract negotiations with quarterback Baker Mayfield. Vea, who reported but did not participate in mandatory minicamp and missed the rest of the offseason program, could potentially resort to a "hold-in" at the start of training camp, meaning he would be present but not practice. Such a move is typically undesirable for teams and coaches.