Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea is no longer one of the ten best defensive tackles in the NFL. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN polled executives, scouts, and coaches around the NFL to rank the top 10 players at each position. While Vea ended up on the honorable mention list, he did not crack the top ten.
This is an important list to measure oneself on because it involves important decision-makers around the league. These are the people whose opinions hold weight. This is also a very important year for Vea to have his ranking brought up because he is in the middle of contract negotiations.
Vea is going to be looking for a pay increase, but the Bucs will point to him being ninth on this list last year, and being in the 11-13 range this year as a sign that he is declining.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defensive Tackle Vita Vea Gets Low Ranking at the Wrong Time
Getty Buccaneers DT Vita Vea
A good bit of the reason for the drop is that Vea went from a career-high seven sacks in 2024 to just 4.5 in 2025. He also went from 10 tackles for loss and 27 run stops to seven tackles for loss and 21 run stops.
He played about the same number of snaps, was healthy for the average NFL player, and yet his production either plateaued or took a small step back.
This is why Vea and the Bucs are currently in a stalemate when it comes to their contract negotiations.
Buccaneers Have Tough Decision to Make On Vea Before 2026 Season
Vea is currently in the last year of his four-year, $71M deal. The team would like to extend Vea. He has been a staple of the team and won a Super Bowl with them. The plan is for him to retire a Buc.
However, the financials are going to be what causes a problem. Vea is going to be 31 years old this season, and that is typically when play starts to decline. Considering he already took a small step back last year, it is easy for the Bucs to believe that his prime days are over.
So, Vea is going to look at the past three years that he gave Tampa Bay and think that he earned his deal and now deserves a bump in pay.
Meanwhile, the Bucs see a declining asset that they want to keep, but at a price that aligns with his play.
Vea is making $17.75M per year in Average Annual Salary. Kenny Clark and Zach Seiler are making $21.3M per year. Clark was lower than Vea on the list and only received a few votes. Meanwhile, nobody put Seiler in their top ten list this year.
So, Vea is going to point to those contracts and expect to be paid in line, if not more than them. The question will be where the bar is. Quinnen Williams and Derrick Brown recently signed for $24M per year. So, between $22M and $24M is likely the right middle ground for the Bucs veteran.
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