Buccaneers Sign Vita Vea to 1-Year, $30M Extension

Tampa Bay is signing DT Vita Vea to a 1-year, $30M extension, according to Adam Schefter. The new agreement keeps Vea under contract with the Buccaneers for the next 2 seasons.

Vea has withdrawn his trade request and will return to practice, ending a hold-in that lasted throughout minicamp and nearly 3 weeks of training camp.

The situation had reached the point where HC Todd Bowles was preparing to face the Chiefs without his Pro Bowl DT.

Vea still attended meetings and helped teammates during drills despite not practicing. Bowles acknowledged Tampa Bay could adjust defensively without him but made it clear Vea is simply a gamechanger.

“It changes what we do, probably not the way I call a game,” Bowles said. “It may change some fronts here and there so we can take advantage of what those guys do well.”

The numbers back up Vea’s impact. Since Bowles arrived in Tampa Bay in 2019, the Buccaneers have posted a 45.8% pass rush win rate with Vea on the field compared to 39% without him.

Vea was entering the final year of his previous contract with no guaranteed money remaining and was scheduled to make $17.75M in 2026. The new agreement gives him an additional $6M this season while adding another year to his deal.

Other teams reportedly sent trade offers for Vea during the situation, but Tampa Bay turned them down and continued working toward keeping him.

In 2025, Vea recorded 34 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and 1 fumble recovery.

Now, after weeks of uncertainty surrounding his future, Vea has his new contract and will return to the Buccaneers defense.