Buccaneers Star Who Wanted Out in July Named Fit for Two Teams That Already Called

Vita Vea signed an extension in August, but a 0-3 start has an analyst pointing him toward Buffalo or San Francisco. His guaranteed 2027 salary is the catch.

by Neal Coolong

Oct 2, 2026

Oct 1, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea (50) pressures New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr (4) while being defended by New Orleans Saints center Erik McCoy (78) during the fourth quarter at the Caesars Superdome.

Vita Vea asked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a trade in July. The Bucs answered a few weeks later with a one-year, $30 million extension that tied the defensive tackle to Tampa Bay through 2027, and the matter looked settled.

Three losses later, his name is circulating again. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox listed Vea among the players who could use a change of scenery and gave the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers as ideal landing spots. Knox wrote that Vea “remains a top-tier interior defender” who might welcome a move to a playoff team.

Both teams have been down this road. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported in August that the Bills, 49ers and Chicago Bears checked on Vea’s availability, and Tampa Bay told them he wasn’t for sale.

How the extension complicates a Vea trade

The deal that kept Vea in Tampa is now the biggest obstacle to moving him. His base salary this season is $1.3 million, according to Over the Cap, but his $23 million salary for 2027 is fully guaranteed. Buffalo and San Francisco are each projected to be more than $30 million over next year’s cap before adding him.

San Francisco has the more pressing need. Nick Bosa is out with a calf strain, and four other 49ers defensive linemen are sidelined with him.

A buyer would also have to look past a slow start. Vea has six tackles and no sacks while playing 71 percent of the defensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference, and his 60.2 grade ranks 65th among 126 qualified interior defenders at PFF. The rest of the front has struggled, too. Tampa Bay’s pass rush ranked 31st in pressure rate through two weeks. Vea turns 32 in February, but he had 4.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss last season and made the Pro Bowl in 2024.

The Bucs are 0-3 and still only a game out of first place in the NFC South, so a sale before the Nov. 10 deadline isn’t a given. Knox sees the offseason as the likelier window if Tampa Bay decides to rebuild. Over the Cap has the Bucs saving $13.3 million by trading Vea before June 1 and $22 million if they wait until after.