The Las Vegas Raiders could be a potential landing spot for veteran defensive tackle Vita Vea. On July 27, ESPN reported that Vea has requested a trade from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after talks on a contract extension stalled.
Moreover, The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen reported on July 27 that Vea would like to get traded to either the Raiders or one of the teams in California, which includes the Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.
Last season with Tampa Bay, the veteran played 764 total snaps, leading to a 72.8 overall PFF defensive grade. Moreover, Vea generated 51 total pressures, four sacks, 39 hurries, and eight QB hits while also recording 22 solo tackles against the run.
Regarding the Silver and Black, NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms shared that he wouldn’t be surprised if Vea ended up in Las Vegas.
“Vita, four or five years ago, was a wrecking ball, a force of nature to deal with,” Simms said on the July 28 edition of “PFT Live.” “He’s still really good, but is he like that anymore? No, not necessarily.
“When you brought up the Raiders and everybody talking about that, it made sense. He’s got to find a spot that will, one, pay him and, two, be with a team where you can look at it and say, ‘Hey, there’s a need at that position.’
“Put that together with GM John Spytek and Jason Licht. They’re buddies. They’re as close as you can get. So, can they work something out here for Vita Vea so he can get to a team that really needs a defensive tackle? That wouldn’t shock me.”
The Raiders Could Use Vita Vea on Their Defensive Line
Moreover, Simms does see the Raiders needing help at the defensive tackle position to potentially take some of the attention off of Maxx Crosby, given that no one else on the Silver and Black’s defensive line can command a double team.
“You look at the Raiders and go, ‘Yeah, they’re not very impressive on the interior defensive line. That’s definitely an issue there,'” Simms added. “But at 31, what’s the trade compensation? What do you have to pay the guy? Those are going to be the biggest issues moving forward for the Buccaneers and Vita Vea.”
Could Buccaneers Simply Ignore Vita Vea’s Trade Request?
Meanwhile, in that same segment, NBC Sports NFL insider Mike Florio could see the Buccaneers deciding to hold onto Vea and not pay him the money he’s looking for, and then let him walk as a free agent.
“The Buccaneers see this as an easy exit ramp, and they could get what they would consider a significant return for him,” Florio said. “We’ll see. It could move quickly, or it could just be noise. That’s how these situations usually go. Either it starts moving, and you get the sense that it’s going to happen, or it’s just noise and posturing.
“The Buccaneers may decide, ‘We don’t care. We’ve got you under contract this year. You’re going to show up. You’re not going to hold out. We’re going to get to work. We’ll take one more year at $17 million, and then we’ll take the compensatory draft pick in 2028 when you leave as a free agent.'”
Raiders Receive Strong Vita Vea Take Amid Trade Request