Vita Vea is the latest Bucs star to be hit by salary cap situation

Tampa Bay Buccaneers star defensive lineman Vita Vea is the latest star player to have his contract affected by the team’s salary cap situation.

As the new league year quickly approaches, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are making various movies in a race against the clock to get back under the salary cap.

The Bucs entered the offseason needing to shed roughly $55 million, which has led to some tough decisions that won’t get any easier as the deadline nears. Tampa Bay must get their cap situation in order before next Wednesday, when the new league year begins and free agency officially opens.

Rather than looking at players to add, as was the case in years past, the majority of the conversation has been about who won’t be here when the season starts in September. Already the team has handed walking papers to Leonard Fournette, Cameron Brate, and Donovan Smith with kicker Matt Gay also expected to be among the cuts the team makes.

Not every move the Bucs are making to get back under the cap involves cutting a player loose, though.

Defensive tackle Vita Vea restructured his deal recently to help alleviate some of the stress the front office is feeling with cap situation. According to Bucs insider Rick Stroud from the Tampa Bay Times, Vea is saving the Bucs roughly $9 million by converting part of his salary for the upcoming season.

Per Stroud:

"The team is expected to save approximately $9 million by converting a large portion of Vea’s $12.5 million base salary for 2023 into a bonus.The agreement is expected to be finalized today."

That’s huge, as it brings the Bucs closer to $40 million over the cap with more restructures expected from top players.

More Buccaneers salary cap moves expected after Vita Vea restructures deal

Stroud mentions both Chris Godwin and Carlton Davis as players who will likely be asked to convert part of their salary to help the team save more money and get closer to being compliant with the cap.

It’s not going to be easy, though, as players with expiring contracts are unlikely to be back thanks to the cap predicament. Jamel Dean is expected to get a monster contract as a top cornerback on the market this year, something that doesn’t come as a huge surprise even if it’s not a fun pill to swallow.

The hardest decision will revolve around team captain Lavonte David. NFL Network reported that he’s expected to test free agency this offseason and it’s ‘challenging’ to see how a return to the Bucs would work out. There’s a chance he returns, but he’d likely be passing on more money and a potentially better situation elsewhere.

For what it’s worth, David has expressed a desire to spend his entire career with the Bucs and retire having only played in Tampa Bay.

We all knew the bill for the Tom Brady Era would eventually come due. The price is steep, and while it’s hard to argue that it wasn’t worth it — after all it resulted in a Super Bowl — it doesn’t make going through what this offseason will require any easier.