Buccaneers Clear $9M Of Cap Space By Reworking Vita Vea’s Deal

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the Buccaneers have restructured DT Vita Vea‘s contract to clear some much-needed cap space.

According to Stroud, the Buccaneers are expected to clear approximately $9 million by converting a large portion of Vea’s $12.5 million base salary for 2023 into a bonus.

Tampa Bay was more than $49 million over the salary cap.

Vea, 28, is a former first-round pick of the Buccaneers back in 2018. He is in the fourth year of his four-year, $14,878,424 rookie contract that included an $8,900,672 signing bonus.

The Buccaneers picked up Vea’s fifth-year option which will cost them $7.638 million fully guaranteed for the 2022 season. He later signed a four-year, $73 million extension with Tampa Bay. 

In 2022, Vea appeared in 14 games for the Buccaneers and recorded 31 tackles, 6.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a recovery.