According to Mike Garafolo, Buccaneers DT Vita Vea was not practicing at minicamp on Tuesday and did not attend OTAs because of contract-related matters.
Garafolo mentions that Vea is entering the final year of his four-year, $71 million contract, and it will be interesting to see how things progress toward training camp.
The veteran defensive tackle averaged $17.75 million per year on his current deal, which makes him the league’s No. 19 overall highest-paid interior lineman.
Vea, 31, is a former first-round pick of the Buccaneers back in 2018. 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, $71 million extension with Tampa Bay. The team cleared approximately $9 million by converting a large portion of Vea’s $12.5 million base salary for 2023 into a bonus.
He’s set to earn a base salary of 17,000,000 in 2026.
In 2025, Vea appeared in all 17 games for the Buccaneers and recorded 34 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two pass defenses, and one fumble recovery.
We’ll provide more information on Vea as the news becomes available.
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