Alex Anzalone didn’t need long to make his position clear on the Buccaneers’ contract standoff with Vita Vea.
After Tampa Bay’s preseason-opening 24-16 win over the New York Jets, the new linebacker was talking with NFL insider Mike Garafolo about the work the Buccaneers’ starters got in during two days of joint practices with New York. The conversation shifted to what he saw in the game, including rookie cornerback Ayden Garnes’ 47-yard pick-six, when Vea appeared in the frame.
Vea, still locked in a contract dispute with the team, shared a quick laugh with Anzalone before moving on. Garafolo called him the “big fella,” and Anzalone immediately pushed back on any idea that the situation is headed for a breakup.
“We need him. We’ll see what happens. It’ll all work out and I think that it’ll be nice playing behind him, have that big guy taking up all the blocks.”
That confidence stands out because Vea’s camp has been making the opposite case. His agent has said a trade is the only outcome he can see for ending the stalemate. But the Bucs aren’t acting like a deal is coming, and Jason Licht has been firm that Tampa Bay will not trade the defensive tackle.
There are at least a few signs this hasn’t fully gone off the rails. Vea is in the final year of his contract and his salary ranks 19th among defensive tackles this season, even though he remains one of the league’s best at the position.
He held in during mandatory minicamp in June in hopes of landing a new deal, but that didn’t happen. The market then jumped when Jeffery Simmons, Dexter Lawrence and Jalen Carter reset the standard, with Simmons and Carter both landing new salaries more than twice Vea’s current number.
Vea then requested a trade at the start of training camp.
Still, he showed up. Even after the June hold-in and not practicing with the team during camp because of a “back tweak,” Vea traveled with the Buccaneers for the Jets game.
There’s also been reporting that he’s open to keeping the talks going with Tampa and wants a resolution. Maurice Jones-Drew said on NFL Network, “He is excited.
He is hoping the talks continue there with his contract. He was still there coaching his guys.
We saw the defensive line (at a joint practice) with Rueben Bain. (Vea) is excited to get out there and hopefully have a chance to play with (Bain).”
The cleanest path forward still looks like Tampa Bay adding a few million dollars to Vea’s 2026 salary, much like the Cam Heyward situation with the Pittsburgh Steelers last year. Ian Rapoport has suggested the same thing.
For now, Vea being around the team at all is the strongest hint that this thing may still end with both sides finding common ground. The Bucs know he’s underpaid compared to other defensive tackles. The team also knows he’s already 31, which makes a massive extension a tougher sell.
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