The Las Vegas Raiders have been at the center of trade rumors all offseason, but it has mostly been in regard to their players that they could trade away. However, now they’re linked to a possible big-time addition.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been dealing with a contract dispute with star defensive tackle Vita Vea. He’s on an expiring deal and wants an extension before the season.
The Buccaneers haven’t given him one, which led to him requesting a trade before the start of training camp, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Vea is 31, so he’s likely on the backend of his athletic prime, but he’s still an impact player.
He started all 17 games for Tampa Bay last season and had 4.5 sacks. He has been as dependable as any defensive tackle in the NFL. That said, he is getting older, so giving him a huge contract extension is somewhat risky.
He has now forced the Buccaneers’ hand and will either get a new contract or get traded. According to The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen, Vea has some teams in mind. The former Pro Bowler 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.
Why Would Vea Want the Raiders?
At first glance, the Raiders seem like a left-field pick for Vea. He’s not from Las Vegas, but did go to high school in the Bay Area when the team was still in Oakland. He has been fortunate to play for some very good Buccaneers teams in his career, and even won a Super Bowl with them.
The Raiders haven’t won a playoff game in over 20 years. So why would he want to go to the Raiders? The most obvious connections are general manager John Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady.
Spytek was an executive with Tampa Bay when the team drafted Vea, and the two worked together for several seasons. Brady and Vea played together on the Buccaneers team that won the Super Bowl. Those are two of the most important people in the Raiders’ building, and Vea knows them well. It has to be appealing to reunite with those two, but Las Vegas likely doesn’t give him his best chance to win in 2026.
How Much Would Vea Cost in a Trade?
Vea would’ve easily been worth a first-round pick in a trade, maybe even more, a few years ago. The problem now is that he’s 31 and wants a huge contract extension.
The Raiders aren’t in a position where they can give up valuable draft picks for aging players. The maximum they may be willing to pay is a third-round pick. Vea is more valuable than a third-round pick, but when you factor in his contract, that’s going to hurt his trade value.
The Raiders might be a year away from being a year away. Adding Vea would help speed up the timeline, but that doesn’t fill the holes on the offensive line or wide receiver. If the price is right, the Raiders could pounce, but they can’t give up too much for the veteran Pro Bowler.
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