The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have enjoyed the benefits of one of the league's biggest, most dominant interior defenders in the NFL for quite some time, but Vita Vea is conspicuously absent as the team continues offseason practices.
As the Bucs move through OTAs (Organized Team Activities) in preparation for the upcoming 2026 season, the anchor of their defensive front wasn't on the field for mandatory minicamp at One Buc Place this week.
Asked for an explanation, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles insinuated Vea's absence was more of a coach's decision based on the non-contact nature of the practices.
But Mike Garafolo of NFL Network is hearing otherwise, reporting that Vea's contract situation is influencing his absence:
The No. 12 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft (the Bucs traded back with the Buffalo Bills, who selected Josh Allen at No. 7 overall), Vea is heading into the final year of a four-year, $71 million contract extension he signed after the expiration of his rookie deal, and it looks like he wants more long-term security beyond this season. As Garafolo points out, Vea has become quite the bargain at around $18 million per year, considering what the other top defensive tackles across the league are getting.
What could be complicating this from the Bucs' side is that Vea just turned 31 years old back in February. While there's no denying the foundational impact he's made on the defense throughout his career in Tampa Bay, handing him another massive extension with a sizable raise might not be something the team wants to commit to at this point in his career.
Bucs fans will be paying close attention to this situation as the offseason wears on, and with Bowles himself going into a make-or-break year after last season's epic collapse, he might push to make sure one of his best defenders gets whatever he needs to ensure he's back on the field as soon as possible.
