Vita Vea gets $30 million in new money, with Bucs through 2027

Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times on Aug 19, 2026

Published in Football

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TAMPA, Fla. — Vita Vea got his big payday, and the Bucs got their big man locked up through the next two seasons.

The 31-year-old defensive tackle agreed to a deal that will pay him $30 million in new money. He was set to earn $18 million this season and received a $6 million increase for 2026, bringing the total to $24 million. He also will earn $24 million for 2027.

Vea had asked for a trade at the start of training camp when he could not reach an agreement on a contract extension.

The Bucs say he sustained a “tweak” in his back during a team run shortly after reporting and has not participated in practice.

General manager Jason Licht, addressing the issue the first week of training camp, said he had no plans to trade Vea.

After the agreement Wednesday night, Licht called Vea a “dominant force” in the Bucs defense.

“Vita is exactly the type of player and person we want to build around in Tampa Bay,” Licht said in a statement released by the team. “He has been a dominant force in the middle of our defense, an exceptional teammate and a tremendous leader in the locker room.

“One of the keys to our recent success has been our ability to draft, develop and re-sign core, foundational players who set the standard for what is means to be a Buccaneer. As one of our team leaders, Vita has played a big role in establishing that winning culture, and we are excited to have him continuing to help lead the way as we pursue our next championship.”

Vea’s demeanor did not resemble a guy who wanted out of Tampa Bay. He attended every practice. He laughed and conversed with teammates and coaches, and even held a blocking pad.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles may have been prescient when he said for Vea to be effective and ready for the season opener at Cincinnati, he would need to return by the final week of the preseason.

“Once you get past two or three preseason games, you start to worry a little bit,” Bowles said recently.

The fully guaranteed agreement makes Vea the 13th highest-paid defensive lineman, tying him with the Panthers’ Derrick Brown, according to Spotrac.

The Bucs invested heavily to improve their defense in the offseason, especially buttressing their front seven.

They signed Panthers free-agent defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson, Giants defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Lions outside linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad and Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone, and used the 15th overall pick on Rueben Bain Jr.

“We can play without him; that’s not a big deal. You don’t want to play without him,” Bowles said early in training camp. “But we can play without him.”

After Wednesday’s agreement, they won’t have to. In addition to being one of the league’s premier run stoppers, Vea’s 34 sacks are 10th in the league among defensive tackles since 2018.

The 6-foot-4, 347-pound Vea was the 12th overall selection by the Bucs in the 2018 draft. He’s played 112 games with 107 starts over the past eight seasons, recording 256 tackles, 35 sacks (which rank eighth in club history), 79 quarterback hits, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.