The Tampa Bay Buccaneers desperately need a good season in 2026, but so far, they have found themselves dealing with some unnecessary contract drama. Quarterback Baker Mayfield has been pining for a contract extension he seems unlikely to get all offseason long, and now, star defensive tackle Vita Vea has requested a trade due to his displeasure with his current deal.
That’s created quite a few distractions for head coach Todd Bowles as he attempts to get his team ready for the upcoming campaign. While Mayfield is practicing amid his contract standoff, Vea is not, with many folks assuming he is holding in. According to Bowles, though, Vea actually is dealing with an injury that is keeping him off the practice field for the time being.
Todd Bowles Makes Surprising Vita Vea Announcement
Mayfield has repeatedly said that, once training camp starts, he’d table his contract negotiations with the Bucs. While that isn’t exactly a deadline either side has to follow, for the time being, it seems like Mayfield is going to play out the final year of his deal. He is practicing, though, so this isn’t really an urgent issue that Bowles and company have to worry about.
Vea, on the other hand, is not practicing now that he has requested a trade. As he prepares to enter the final year of his four-year, $71 million contract, Vea hasn’t been shy in expressing his desire for a new deal this offseason that would make him one of the highest-paid defensive tackles in the league. With the Buccaneers focused on Mayfield, though, Vea’s contract situation has flown under the radar.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Vea remains one of the best players in the league at his position, even as he prepares to enter his age-31 season. Tampa Bay will now have to scramble to figure out if it will hand Vea a new deal or trade him, but in the meantime, he won’t be practicing. In a surprise twist, though, Bowles revealed that Vea is actually dealing with an injury, which is the real reason why he isn’t practicing.
“Bucs DT Vita Vea, who has an open trade request, ‘tweaked something’ and isn’t practicing, per HC Todd Bowles,” Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team shared in a post on X. “Bowles said they have had no conversations about trading him.”
Buccaneers Need to Find a Solution to Vita Vea’s Trade Request
GettySEATTLE, WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 05: Vita Vea #50 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers warms up prior to a game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on October 05, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)
Could Vea actually be dealing with an injury? Sure, but whether or not that’s the reason he actually isn’t practicing is unknown. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter, because even if Vea is injured, the Buccaneers still need to find a way to resolve his trade request. The front office doesn’t seem interested in moving on from him, so hammering out a contract with him as soon as possible needs to be the team’s priority.
Tampa Bay has several reasons to operate with a sense of urgency here. Not only is this a distraction for the entire team, but the sooner it gets done, the sooner Vea will get back on the field. The Bucs will certainly be monitoring Vea’s injury status in the wake of this update, but their main objective must involve signing him to a new contract.
Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles Issues Vita Vea Update After Trade Request