When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Vita Vea to a one-year, $30M extension, General Manager Jason Licht made it clear that while his play had to do with it, the entire person that Vea is gives them the confidence to continue to build around him.
Licht released a statement shortly after the Vea extension, explaining why the team decided to make the move.
“Vita is exactly the type of player and person we want to build around in Tampa Bay,” General Manager Jason Licht said in a statement. “He has been a dominant force in the middle of our defense, an exceptional teammate, and a tremendous leader in our locker room.”
Licht made it clear that one of the things he was most proud of is that Vea is another player the team was able to draft and then develop into a core member of the Bucs.
“One of the keys to our recent success has been our ability to draft, develop, and re-sign core, foundational players who set the standard for what it means to be a Buccaneer,” said Licht. “As one of our team leaders, Vita has played a big role in establishing that winning culture, and we are excited to have him continuing to help lead the way as we pursue our next championship.”
Vea was a key piece of the Bucs last Super Bowl run, and the team plans for him to be here when they make a run for their next Super Bowl.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Extend Vita Vea
GettyVita Vea #50 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers drafted Vea 12th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. It is hard for players to live up to that type of draft status, but Vea has done just that. He only started in eight games during his rookie year, but added three sacks. In 2019, he became a full-time starter and had 2.5 sacks.
Unfortunately, Vea suffered an ankle injury that ended his 2020 season after just five games. However, he responded with a Pro Bowl campaign in 2021, ensuring he was a long-term piece of the Bucs roster.
Vea exploded after that. He recorded 6.5 sacks in 2022 and 5.5 sacks in 2023. Then, he produced a career-high seven sacks in his Pro Bowl 2024 season. Last year, he produced 4.5 sacks, showing he is still productive. Now, he enters his ninth season with the Bucs, and he signed on for a tenth.
Buccaneers Continue to Extend Their Own
As Licht stated, the team has a strong penchant for drafting, developing, and then extending their talent. In recent years, the team has extended Tristan Wirfs, Luke Goedeke, and Zyon McCollum. All of those are draft picks.
Chris Godwin signed multiple extensions with the Bucs as he enters his age-30 season. Antoine Winfield is another strong draft-and-develop player.
Tampa Bay will now shift its attention to two other former draft picks. Yaya Diaby and Cody Mauch will be free agents at the end of this season. We will see if the Buccaneers can make any progress on those two before the season starts. They could join the long list of extended draft picks.
Buccaneers GM Sends Strong Message After Vita Vea Deal